Does your life regularly feel a bit off-balance?

 

It’s a vital question in our frantic, fast-paced culture, but one few people pursue with intentionality.

The principle of balance is one of those laws upon which God established the universe. Every nook and cranny of creation is built on this principle of equilibrium. For instance, the earth is perfectly tilted on its axis to sustain and nourish life. A few degrees one way or another and we’d either burn up or freeze. It is perfectly balanced, and God intended it that way.

And he wants balance for you as well . . . along with the peace, purpose, and joy that comes with it.

I want to give you a quick preview of the seven biblical principles to help you live a balanced life in an unbalanced world:

1. Build your life around Christ. In Matthew 22:37-39, Jesus summarized life’s priorities in this way: Love God and love people. If that's the only thing you get done in life, you’ve struck the right balance. That’s how Jesus lived, and he was the only perfectly balanced person ever.

2. Accept your humanity. When you overwork, you're playing God. You're saying, “It all depends on me!” No, it doesn’t. You can resign and it's not going to fall apart. God will take care of things.

3. Limit your labor. God wired you to be in a rhythm of work and rest. Our best requires rest because that’s how God knit us together. That’s why Exodus 20:9-10 says, “You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God” (NLT). It’s commanded because it’s needed. Take God at his word and get some rest!

4. Adjust your values. The reason we get out of balance is that our values get out of balance. We expend all our effort chasing after less important things at the expense of more important things. A balanced life recognizes what’s of eternal importance and pursues those things first.

5. Nourish your inner life. God puts an inner fire within each of us that gives us a passion and zeal and a reason to get up in the morning. And if you don’t tend that fire, it’ll go out and you’ll be left with a cold heart. Psalm 119:16 says, "I will delight in your decrees. I will not neglect your word" (NIV). If you're finding the fire in your life has gone out, get back in contact with the living God through his Word and let him begin to light the fire in your heart again.

6. Commit your daily schedule to God. Psalm 31:15 says, "My times are in your hands" (NIV). When you understand that God knows what you’re supposed to be doing on any given day, you’ll begin to move towards the healthy balance he intends for your life.

7. Enjoy the moment. The Bible says it like this in Ecclesiastes 5:19 (and I’m paraphrasing): "All of us should enjoy what we have worked for. It is God's gift." There are two reasons you were put here on this earth. One, know God, and enjoy a relationship with him. Two, use the talents and gifts he gave you to serve others because that builds character for eternity. And while you're living that life he intended, enjoy all the moments!

From Pastor Rick Warren