March 17, 2024
“But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus, the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God.” Acts 20:24 (NLT)
“If you are wise and understand God’s ways, live a life of steady goodness so that only good deeds will pour forth. And if you don’t brag about the good you do, then you will be truly wise.” Trusting God in every area of our lives keeps us in balance. James 3:13 (NLT)
“Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.” 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 (NASB)
How would you define a balanced Christian life? Do you feel you are living a balanced Christian life? What does a balanced Christian life look like? Talking with my friend Wilma about a couple of months ago and expressed our difficulty in keeping up with one of our Bible studies and the other commitments, we were overwhelmed. We are both retired, and at times I think we are busier now than when we were working full-time jobs. We also reflected on when we were in school working on our degrees and asked ourselves, “How did we do all of what we did? We both had other obligations and were involved in church ministries, as well as outreach ministries. My daughter Portia says I do not know how to say NO!
Recently reflecting on my life’s Scripture which has been noted in my bio for years, I needed to make sure my life was aligned with Acts 20:24, which says, “But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus, the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God.” (NLT)
So, the question remains, what is a balanced Christian life and how do I live it? Reflecting again, there will be seasons when our lives won’t be balanced, and we accept that, at least temporarily. In this journey called life, accomplishments take effort, focus, and often a conscious neglect of other priorities. Would you agree that a Christian life becomes balanced over time? It comes with a degree of Christian maturity and cannot always be neatly packaged into a certain time period or segments of life. There are times when if you looked at your life through a microscope, you would say it was unbalanced, but if you looked through a telescope you would have a different picture.
How do we find proper balance among the hustle and bustle of life? The Word of God is clear on finding balance in life and what really matters. 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 reminds us that God is interested in every aspect of our lives. It says, “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.”
Let’s look into the Scriptures and see what God says and what guidelines He gives for us to live a more balanced Christian life!
- When we let Christ have control of our lives, He will help us to bring everything into balance, giving us life and peace. Romans 13:14. “Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.” (NLT) Let the Lord Jesus Christ take control of you, and don’t think of ways to indulge your evil desires. Romans 8:6. “So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace? (NLT) If your sinful nature controls your mind, there is death. But if the Holy Spirit controls your mind, there is life and peace.
- Trusting God in everything helps us to keep our lives in balance. Psalm 37:34. ”Put your hope in the Lord. Travel steadily along his path. He will honor you by giving you the land. You will see the wicked destroyed.” (NLT) Don’t be impatient for the Lord to act! Travel steadily along his path.
- Living a godly life in harmony with God’s will gives us the stability we long for. Proverbs 12:3. Wickedness never brings stability, but the godly have deep roots. (NLT)
- Often imbalance comes into our lives when we become discontented with what we have. Contentment gives us freedom. 1 Timothy 6:6-10 “ Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it. So, if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content. But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.” (NLT) Be satisfied with what God has given you!
- When we fully understand what work God has given us to do, we can focus on that and remove distractions that throw our lives out of balance. 1 Corinthians 9:26-27 “So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.” (NLT) I run straight to the goal with purpose in every step. I am not like a boxer who misses his punches. I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should.
What is A Balanced Christian life?
A Balanced Christian life is a godly life. As Jesus did, actively looked to God to see the balance in His activities. When we understand God’s balanced ways, we will understand how to keep balance in our lives.
Ecclesiastes 7:13. “Accept the way God does things, for who can straighten what he has made crooked? (NLT) Notice the way God does things; then fall into line. Don’t fight the ways of God, for who can straighten out what he has made crooked?
James 3:13. ”If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom. (NLT) If you are wise and understand God’s ways, live a life of steady goodness so that only good deeds will pour forth. And if you don’t brag about the good you do, then you will be truly wise!
A Balanced Christian Life is a walk with God. Finding and maintaining the proper balance in life depends on the depth of our relationship with God.
Proverbs 12:3. ”Wickedness never brings stability, but the godly have deep roots.” (NLT)
A Balanced Christian life knows the mind of the Lord. We can know what God wants us to do as we change our way of thinking to his way.
Romans 12:2. ”Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” (NLT) Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, and develops well-formed maturity in you.
A Balanced Christian Life is a life of self-control. As our thinking is transformed into His, our eternal perspective helps us exercise self-control in our life choices.
1 Peter 1:13. “So think clearly and exercise self-control. Look forward to the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world.” (NLT) Think clearly and exercise self-control. Look forward to the special blessings that will come to you at the return of Jesus Christ.
A Balanced Christian Life uses the gifts God gave us to do His work and uses them in the best way possible.
Romans 12:4-8. Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are all parts of his one body, and each of us has different work to do.
1 Corinthians 12:27. “All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it. (NLT) Now all of you together are Christ’s body, and each one of you is a separate and necessary part of it.
A Balanced Christian Life avoids compromise with ungodliness, for ungodliness causes us to lose control.
Psalm 119:3. “They do not compromise with evil, and they walk only in his paths.” (NLT)
Titus 2:12. “And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God. (NLT) We are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with self-control, right conduct, and devotion to God.
A Balanced Christian Life includes proper rest, sleep, quiet, and relaxation. How long could we keep going without these things?
Psalm 139:3 “You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do.” (NLT). You chart the path ahead of me and tell me where to stop and rest. Every moment you know where I am.
HEART 
CHALLENGE: The older I get, the more I realize how sweet God’s gift of life is. Many of us wake up in the morning with expectations for the day. This was evident last week when I had planned my day, and nothing went as scheduled. Some might say, that is how goes. No, I am learning better how to seek God and relinquish control of my day. It was so clear as I was reminded that I got up and running and did not surrender my control of the day. We can make our plans, but God has His plans and He reminded me that He wanted to be included.
How Can You Find The Proper Balance in Life? Trusting God in every area of our lives keeps us in balance. James says 3:13-16. If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, and doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your heart, don’t cover up the truth with boasting and lying. For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind. (NLT)
Every Christian has a special purpose within God’s plan. A joyful balanced Christian life comes when we recognize it adjust to it and go about doing it in the power of the Holy Spirit. Nothing else matters when our eyes are set on the goal of looking into the eyes of the Lord and hearing these words well done good and faithful servant!
A WISE 
HEART: Life teaches us the importance of watching over our lives and being on guard against falling into negative thinking and behavior. It is imperative that we are on constant guard against falling into deception, ungodliness, and sin that can so easily destroy us. Why is this important? This is important because sin is a serious matter, and it is never a private issue. It always affects those around us, especially our families.
We need regular spiritual checkups which are important to watch, hear, and believe what is true to avoid speaking heresy. We should be on guard against those who would persuade us that how we live is more important than what we believe; however, it is very important to persist in both. False and deceitful information can also be a trap that can knock us off our square.
Also, we must be reminded of the importance of watching over our lives closely. Having the wisdom of God, we will be able to accept and deal with the realities and challenges of life to live balanced lives.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for Your Word that provides us with clear instructions on how to live balanced lives. Help us to live balanced lives by getting to know You better and Your balanced ways. Help us to trust You and allow You to have control over every area of our lives. Help us to be mindful that nothing is more important in this life than completing our God-given assignment. Help us to bring everything into balance, giving us life and peace, in the Precious, Powerful, and Preeminent name of Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord, Amen.