My Epic Journey

A little while ago, I wrote about being a balanced person.

I took a break from school for a couple of days and picked up the book, The Importance of Being Foolish, by Brennan Manning. 

The book is a great reminded that Jesus doesn’t call us to a "feel good" Christianity or to a Christianity that is just about TALK.  Instead, Jesus calls us to a life of action.  Action to love and serve the poor and ungodly to fight against the egotism and arrogance of people who talk about God more than do things for God.

In the very first chapter of the book, Manning makes this statement about balance, "A truly balanced person retains a capacity for wonder and the willingness to express it in the very confession of creaturehood, the spontaneous acknowledgment that his is a human being and not a god, a being with limitations who, far from having embraced infinity, is happily and hopelessly engulfed by it."

Quick thoughts:

• When was the last time you just allowed your mind to wonder about the incredibleness of who God is and why He created you? (Psalm 139.13-18)
• When was the last time you reminded yourself of the who you are and who God is?  (Isaiah 6.1-8)
• When was the last time you put that all together and lived a life in harmony with the personality and characteristics of God? (Philippians 2.5-7)

In our churches, we come across many different types of people. 

Morally-Imbalanced

Some who are passionate about God and the Bible but don’t know how to apply it to everyday life.  I refer to these as morally-imbalanced individuals.  They know what God says but don’t have any problems living LIKE the world.

Biblically-Imbalanced

Others have THIER opinions but can’t back them up with Scripture.  They may use Scripture but it is usually pulled out of context to fit their needs morally.  They have a right and wrong but it is usually their own and not substantiated by God.

Biblically-Balanced

The biblically-balanced individuals are rare in the church.  These people, not only know what God says, but they put it into practices in their daily lives.  Everything they do is first brought before God and His Word and then second, applied to their everyday situation.

Be careful to not assume that once you become a biblically-balanced individual that Satan sill try to pull you back into one of the imbalanced situations.  Stay true to what God says and know how to apply it in everyday life.

Three sets of three words that will change your life.

1.  I love you!

2.  I forgive you!

3.  I accept you!

These three sets of three words have catastrophic consequences in your life.

Spiritually when spoken by God as we turn our heart over to Him.  He takes our life and makes us part of Him.  Nothing can ever separate us from that (Romans 8:38-39)

Humanly speaking, these words can and do change any earthly relationship.  Be it between a husband-wife or parent-child, no other words are as powerful to break down barriers in relationships.

In a world that is fairly hostile, may these words be readily on our lips as we continue to become more like Christ (Ephesians 4.32).