By Arlo Moehlenpah
When we buy new tires we have them balanced because balancing keeps the wheels from wobbling. If the tire had too much weight at one place and too little at another we would call the tire lop-sided.
God knows something about balancing also. For the earth to spin so smoothly, rotating every 24 hours, it must be perfectly balanced. The balancing of the mountains and
canyons and ocean trenches must have been especially delicate. For the waters to recede after the flood mountains must have risen and ocean trenches formed to hold the water. Psalms 104:6-8. We know that when a figure skater tucks his arms in tight he can spin faster but when he extends his arms and legs he slows down. Likewise a high diver tucks in when he somersaults but open up before hitting the water to reduce spinning. If the earth was not delicately balanced it would spin slower or faster resulting in tremendous temperature changes or wobble out of orbit to destruction. God measured the proper amount of water in the hollow of his hand, “comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance.” Isaiah 40:12.
A Christian’s life also must be balanced. When I first got the Holy Ghost, Brad Jamerson, from our church, told me that if I would pray fifteen minutes a day, read my Bible fifteen minutes a day, and witness fifteen minutes a day I would never backslide. You may say, “Only fifteen minutes of prayer a day?” Yes, but if you prayed two hours a day and never read your Bible or witnessed, you would be out of balance. Likewise if you read your Bible two hours a day and never witnessed or prayed you would be out of balance. The same goes for witnessing much but not praying or studying the word. I think Brad was also teaching me that fifteen minutes a day consistent prayer was more beneficial than no
prayer at all followed by an occasional all night prayer meeting. What he was teaching me was “Balanced Christianity.”
We need to remember that Christians are the raw material from which fanatics are made. To me a fanatic is one who is completely out of balance. A person who goes on a long fast but doesn’t obey the simple principles of the word of God is out of balance. There is much balance in the scriptures such as faith and works, spirit and truth, justice and mercy, fruit of the spirit and gifts of the spirit, wives submitting to their husbands and husbands loving their wives, children obeying parents and fathers not provoking their children to anger. We are taught to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength and not just in one area of our life.
I trust that your lives will be balanced and that you will not wear out too quickly or wobble off to destruction. Selah!
The above article, “Balanced Christianity,” is written by Arlo Moehlenpah. The article was excerpted from his e-newsletter, Doing Good Ministries.
The material is copyrighted and should not be reprinted under any other name or author. However, this material may be freely used for personal study or research purposes.
