balance – The Manna Chef

In ministry, and life in general, one of the most important but often neglected matters is maintaining balance. We are not spiritual super heroes walking around rescuing people. We have been chosen by God to fulfill a function in the body of Christ, but don’t get it twisted, we are still human. You are a spirit, possessing a soul, living in a fleshly body—and that body has real limitations. Mark 14:38 reminds us that although our spirit may be willing, our flesh is weak. We need balance to help us to be effective in the work God has called us to do.

It’s possible to lose your balance simply because you are overextended. You can be so busy doing the Lord’s work that you wear yourself out. God doesn’t get the glory out of you wearing yourself down. He wants relationship with you more than seeing your name on the roster of 20 different church ministries. Learn to say no. If God hasn’t instructed you to do something, you’d be wise not to pursue it.

Think about things that throw us off balance:

Traffic, running late, putting out fires at work, the kids acting up, the spouse acting up, illness interrupts life, the car breaks down, the bills are piling up, and things just are not going as planned.

We get off balance when things move out of our control. I have learned that there are some things I can control, and it is my responsibility to do so. But there are other things, many other things, that are beyond my control. Why wear myself out over something I can’t control? Those things simply need to be turned over to God. I can’t do anything about it anyway.

Maybe getting caught in traffic made you take time to breathe and talk to God? He could be slowing you down to prevent you from a tragedy. Have you ever made it through traffic to find that there was a horrific accident? (God protects us every day from dangers seen and unseen.) Maybe that issue with the kids or the spouse is your wake-up call that there are a few things that need to be addressed in your home. Your home life should take priority in your life. Children shouldn’t have to compete with the church for their parents’ attention. Maybe the craziness at work is stretching you to grow, preparing you for your next job. Are you allowing your light to shine in the midst of the chaos?

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Sometimes life can seem so complicated that you feel like you’re in this thing all by yourself. Everywhere you turn, there is a hurdle to jump. You ever find it hard to catch your breath because so much is going on?

There was a time when life seemed so overwhelming that I just wanted to give up; not on living, but in ministry. I felt like I was becoming stagnant. I was pouring out so much, but very little was being poured back in. I didn’t have balance in my life. I was doing the best I could; but I was on “empty.” You know what? People will use you up if you allow them to do it. I was pretty much exhausted and I was becoming bitter. And I’m talking about in ministry and in life. I wanted to throw in the towel; it had become too much.

But the Holy Spirit was right there in the midst of all of my challenges. He listened to me vent and then He checked me. I don’t know about you, but the Holy Spirit doesn’t coddle me. I don’t have many of those tender, sweet moments when it comes to me basically complaining to God. He listens and then gets on my case. I describe it to my friends like He has me in the boxing ring, tearing me up!

The Spirit of God reminded me that although I do have a choice, there is really only one choice to make if I want to receive the promises of God and be who He designed me to be. I have to be obedient to Him and stay centered in His will. We have to learn how to position ourselves to receive from God. My life belongs to Him, so I’m here to do His will. That’s the bottom line for me.

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Tag: balance

Lord, Help Me Find Balance

It’s Bigger Than You