MAKING 2014 A GREAT YEAR (4)
The next defect is lameness (Lev.21.18)
Because of my problems with my knee for the past year I can sure relate to this defect. If one is lame he is unbalanced, it is so easy to fall over and hurt yourself. I have come to see that BALANCE is extremely important in the life of the believer.
Let me ask you some personal questions ?
How balanced is your life say in these areas :
1. Your personal and family life ?
2. Your career ?
3. your church and ministry life ?
4. In your devotional life ?
Of course we cannot give each of these areas 1/3 of our time, but for example it is so easy to be so committed in our employment situation that family and ministry can suffer. We can mentally try and justify it by saying I must earn a good lot of money to provide for my family, my wife can look after the children.
Can I encourage you at the beginning of this year to look at these areas in your life, we probably should do it a couple of times a year anyway make sure these areas remain in balance. Sadly I know people who honestly felt neglected because say the father was never at home because of his work. There are those who’s father was a Minister and they are not in church today because they honestly felt the church was more important to their father than his own children. There are Pastor’s wives for are bitter frustrated people for the same reason that the church was the Pastor’s main wife !!!!
You know your personal situation and your responsibility as a parent to your spouse and your children and to your employment, but do not let these so effect your life so that you cannot serve in some form of ministry in the life of your church.
As a Pastor I am so conscious that I must hold the Word of God in BALANCE, Paul said He must preach the whole counsel of God (Acts 20.27) We talk about preachers who only have one string in their bow and every time they preach there pet doctrine come out of their mouth. Ever since the first century there has been heresies and extreme unbalanced teaching in the church all supposedly based on the Word of God. Sadly, there have also been numerous practices in the life of a church over the centuries that are unbalanced, but so become part of the life of the church it is accepted. I don’t want to specifically highlight certain overemphasises except a teaching that seems to rear it ugly head in every generation that is “cheap grace” or the heresy of antinomianism (lawlessness). There are those that teach now you are a Christian you can do as you like it is all forgiven an forgotten. Of course when Jesus died he dealt with every sin past, present and future, but we must still come in repentance daily and let the Holy Spirit search our hearts and seek HIs cleansing and forgiveness if we have failed the Lord.
I would encourage you not to say “I am a Calvinist”, or I am an Arminianist” or” I am an Amillenialist” or whatever let the Holy Spirit continue to lead you into “present truth” and you study and search the Scriptures.
This is why it is good to have older more mature believers around you and let them speak into your life to keep your believing in balance. Let us be Christ centred not doctrine centred.
May the Lord help us to be BALANCED in every area of our lives in 2014, Lord help us NOT to walk with a limp.