As I am beginning to write this particular blog, it is a quiet morning and the only sound I hear outside is the mower on the golf course. Yes, we we live on a golf course and no, I am not a great golfer but I love to play and enjoy the outdoor. That is all for another time, so as I sit here I am pondering some thoughts about really a lot of things. Jesus coming again (even so come quickly Lord Jesus), the state of our nation, and what is going on in the world today, family and friends, Add to that life and the one who told me yesterday about being diagnosed with cancer. She asked me to pray for her, which I absolutely did right here on the sidewalk. A trip we are going on soon, you know things.
Now if I, or any of us, focus on and become consumed with those things it will be to our own detriment. It is too much, and there is precious little, if anything, we can change. So what do I (we) do? Well, the answer may seem more simple than you might think. The word that comes to mind is balance. The definition of balance is-an even distribution of weight enabling someone or something to remain upright and steady. You will say, well Pastor, I understand, but what does that have to do with all that is going on around me and how I respond? Actually it has everything to do with it because in the verb form balance means to-keep or put (something) in a steady position so that it does not fall.
One of the hardest things to do is to balance everything that is directly and indirectly affecting your life. In 2 Corinthians 7 the Apostle Paul says this about life-
7 And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to [a]buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure.
8 Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me.
9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
You are probably saying about now, but Pastor I am no Apostle Paul, and you are absolutely right. However, you are a child of God, at least I trust you are. You know what I mean, you have believed in your heart and confessed with your mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord and rose on the third day. Here is how Paul said it in Romans 10:9-13
9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.”
12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him.
13 For “whoever callson the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
If you don’t know Jesus as your Savior, what I just showed you from God’s Word, is for you so you can today, right now, accept His free gift of eternal life. Now, if you are already a believer then these are words that encouraged you in your life and challenged you to pray for and witness to those who have not yet received salvation by Grace through Christ Jesus our Lord.
So thank you for allowing me to detour for a few moments into the really important thing in life which is salvation. If you accepted Christ today please use the contact us button on the website ElbertNasworthy.com and let us know.
So back to this balancing act of life. Paul dealt with some major issues and we do not know exactly what they were. There is a lot of speculation and you can study that for your self but the issue I am speaking to is that there are things in life that will not seem fair. They won’t make any sense and they seem to be tipping the balance and you are having a hard time with it.
Go back to the definition of balance in the verb form-keep or put (something) in a steady position so that it does not fall. As a Christian I have to use God’s Word, allow His Holy Spirit and His Son to each day to affect my life. If I don’t avail myself of everything He provides then I am not putting my self in position to not fall.
Listen, if anyone tells you this life is easy they don’t know what they are talking about. Life is tough and we have to use every available tool and opportunity from the Lord to make it through each day.
We just celebrated Thanksgiving and I hope it was a very special time for you and your family. In the midst of where we are as a nation, it was probably not like previous years and hopefully it will return to normal by next year. Now we have Christmas to look forward to and it is my most special time of the year. I love it and look forward to celebrating it with our family and friends as we balance to keep or put (something) in a steady position so that it does not fall.
A thought to ponder,
Elbert Nasworthy
