11th DECEMBER 2021
“A false balance is an abomination to the Lord, but a just weight is His delight.” —Proverbs 11:1
This topic is a difficult one to understand. But I will try to break it down for us to understand. Preaching about maintaining balance and harmony in life is not an easy task. We are all different in many ways; no two persons are identical in behavioural, emotional, and psychological makeup. How then do we live together in harmony despite these various dichotomies? Proverbs 16:11 states: “A just weight and balance are the Lord’s; all the weights in the bag are His work.” This means that all things are God’s and that He is and must always be the standard by which we measure everything we do as humans. He and His character are of proper balance. Further, when we look forward to creating harmony and balance, the standard to be employed is God’s principles for creating harmony and balance.
Perhaps, you may wonder why it is necessary to live peacefully and happily with others. First, you must understand that the world is in a balance; everything in the world is held together harmoniously by the word of God – the eternal essence of God, which became flesh in Jesus Christ. The harmony and balance created by the word of God is the reason we are alive today. It is also why the sun, moon, and stars are held in balance, none of which is falling off or destroying another. In the same breath, we are expected to maintain balance and harmony of the body and the mind and live together in peace and harmony in our family and the world.
If we maintain body and mind harmony, then we will be healthy, and nature will reduce diseases drastically from our lives. Also, if we balance our relationships, especially in our families, peace and fellowship will reign, while deaths and other negative spirits will be neutralized. NOTE that everything about God outweighs any capability, talent, capacity, or knowledge we have compared to Him. Therefore, to measure up to the standard required of us by God, we have to work or express ourselves within the bounds of God’s word and His eternal principles.
Today, the scripture tells us that as God expects scales and balances to be used with fairness and equity, so too are His principles and ways to be measured against ours. Therefore:
1. We must live in harmony with God’s word. In the words and experiences of a man within the pages of the Bible, God has given us a blueprint of how and how not to do things. We see the successes and the failures, the ups, downs, the heroes and the heathens, all written in the bible for our edification and development.
2. We must live in harmony with times and seasons. The scripture says there is time for everything under the sun (Ecclesiastes 3)
3. We must ensure peace and understanding in marriages and family circles. Forgiveness is the key to family peace and harmony.
4. We must, at all times, live among others and express love and peace to them. We must live among those God has not called to any Ministry yet, work for unconverted bosses to provide for our families and send our children to the world’s educational facilities without sacrificing our relationship with God and our efforts to build strong marriages and raise godly children; while remaining unspotted from this world (James 1:27).
Beloved, none of us is the same. We have different backgrounds, education, and experiences, but God overcomes these differences. Balance is putting into action those things that are God-centered and God-inspired and refusing to do those that are selfish and unhelpful. We come to balance when we understand, accept, and fulfil our God-given roles in life. When we realize that God is the final, just, and faithful Standard and Arbiter of all things—that His way is the balanced way of life—we have found a Christian balance, and we will consistently make proper godly decisions.
PRAYER
Lord Jesus Christ, I believe in God’s plan for my salvation; therefore, I give thanks to God in all things. Lord, I live by faith in obedience to your commands and principles. I ask this day for the power to live a balanced and harmonious life. AMEN.
FURTHER READING: Philippians 2:3-4; Colossians 3