balance

Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” John 21:15

Since the resurrection of Jesus, Christians seem to have been in an interesting battle. The concept of how we are saved has led to many sermons, books, and even paper nailed to church doors. The prevailing answer in the modern church age is, of course, that we are saved by grace. The grace of Jesus Christ dying for our sins.

If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  Romans 10:9

That passage from Romans couldn’t be clearer and yet the concept of being saved by works and/or financial contributions to the church ran throughout Christendom for a long time. Unfortunately, much of our Christian thinking seems to have swung so far in the opposite direction that we have forgotten the other lessons in the Bible.

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? James 2:14

As my BSGs work our way through a study of Revelation I keep hearing a few of the same messages. 1) We must repent of our sins and accept Christ today and 2) Our deeds will be counted in eternity. That balance of accepting God’s grace and also working to please Him echoes so many other Christian balancing acts.

Expressing God’s Truth while showing God’s Love
His Word is both bitter and sweet
To live in this world but not of it
Accepting chastisement as a method of God’s love for us

I wonder how many of us each Sunday (or whatever day you attend church) receive constant training on how to walk those balance beams?

This week’s Jesus Mindset focuses on being a humble servant. The character trait requires of us to first be somewhat practiced at being a loving friend. For when we take action in the name of God without a loving spirit it becomes almost impossible to be humble. I’m sure each of us can think of a person in our lives who took on responsibilities simply to gain some sort of recognition. A church body that forgets Jesus’ primary character trait – loving friend – becomes like the church of Ephesus. They were “doing” a lot and building larger, more grand buildings but doing it without love.

“The church used to be known for its good deeds,” said one wit, “but today it’s better known for its bad mortgages.”

The evolution from love of neighbor to deeds without love creates a hulking body that God eventually is clearly unhappy with. And so, we find ourselves searching for the balance. This week I will highlight three people. Two sisters and a quiet, humble man. Each has their own way of “feeding” God’s lambs. Each have different personalities. They each find a way to reach that balance of knowing they are saved by grace and yet God asks more of us.

I love this quote from the book, “The Hiding Place,” which tells the story of love and servanthood in the face of extreme adversity. This moment takes place as a member of the family is about to die. They remind her of all the amazing things she did in life because “accomplishment” meant so much to her. But in her final moments Jesus spoke to her heart and reminded her of God’s truths.

“How can we bring anything to God? What does He care for our little tricks and trinkets?” she asked. And then as we listened in disbelief she lowered her hands and with tears still coursing down her face whispered, “Dear Jesus, I thank You that we must come with empty hands. I thank you that You have done all on the Cross and that all we need in life or death is to be sure of this.”
Tante Jans, The Hiding Place

With empty, well-worn hands. Hands worn with the work for Jesus. For when we die we won’t take the certificates of recognition, the medals, the bonuses with us. But each person we have fed, in His name, will be etched in our hands and hearts.

Then He said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.” Matthew 9:37

Jesus has plenty of work for us to do. The majority of that work could be called “grunt work.” It requires us to get uncomfortable and place our trust solely in the Lord’s hands. You probably won’t receive any money for it or a headline in the local paper. What we will receive is a smile from Jesus.

My friend Betsy told me the other day how, while out shopping, she saw a homeless man in an adjoining parking lot. He was in a wheelchair. As she got into her car Jesus placed the thought in her head, “Go give him one of your ‘blessings bags.’” Her church provides these bags to hand out to anyone in need. She had never just walked up to someone and given them a bag.

But that day she pulled out of her parking spot and drove over to the man. He was struggling trying to get his wheelchair closed up so he could lie down on the same spot. As she approached the man, she could tell he was drunk. But she kept moving forward. She inquired, “Do you need some help?” And he said he did. She helped him get situated and then offered a blessings bag, which he readily accepted. As she left she acknowledged to herself that she wouldn’t have taken that action previously – some other force pressed her forward.

You see, Betsy has been a loving Christian for 60 some years. She has always served her church and family well. Recently she has been working on the “obeying God” part of her faith progression. Listening for His voice and taking action to be His humble servant. God has told her it’s time to move forward.

Therefore, I urge you, brothers 
and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, 
to offer your bodies as a living 
sacrifice, holy and pleasing to 
God—this is your true and 
proper worship.
Romans 12:1

A prayer to keep my body strong and dedicate it to serve God

Heavenly Father, I regularly make the commitment to keep my spiritual life active and strong. However, when I make choices about exercise or my diet, I rarely see that as part of my devotional life. My spirit, my soul and my body all belong to you. You ask us to be your warriors in the name of Christ. And warriors are strong spiritually, mentally and physically. Starting today, LORD, I recommit my entire body to you. When I am weak and want to forgo exercise or eat food I know just isn’t good for me I ask that your Holy Spirit remind me that I need to be strong to accomplish all that you have planned for me. I lift this up in your Son’s Holy Name, Amen.

I heard a pastor speaking the other day about our bodies being a “living sacrifice” and how so many of us Christians focus solely on the spirit part of our being. But there are three key parts that make us, well us. Our spirit, our soul (emotions and mind), and our physical body. And when one is out of balance then we haven’t fully committed ourselves as a living sacrifice. We may be saved but some of us are downright miserable either because of what goes on in our heart and head or because we just don’t feel good about our bodies.

We make that New Year’s resolution to lose that famous 10 pounds. Which in reality is probably more like 15 or 20. But resolutions are only so good as our own personal commitment to ourselves. Recognizing that our bodies belong to God and He has a divine purpose for them is key to taking control over our physical health.

There’s a funny movie featuring Goldie Hawn and Meryl Streep called, “Death Becomes Her.” In it the two women take an immortality potion. The two women have despised each other their entire lives and spend much of the movie trying to outdo each other. But prior to taking the potion they are warned to take care of their bodies. Once broken, their body remains damaged – but they continue to live forever. The famous scene in the movie is called the “shovel scene.” The two women get into a fight and begin bashing each other with all manner of devices including shovels. The destruction they cause to their bodies is hilarious. And they will be stuck that way for all eternity.

Oops, you gotta little hole right there…

When we look into our mirrors, we should heed the same warning. This is the only body we have and we should take good care of it, not just for ourselves, but in God’s name and purpose. If we are not in our best fighting shape (no matter our God-given physical situation) then how can we expect God to give us every opportunity possible to serve Him?

My current Bible study group (My BSGs – Bible Study Girls) is made up of two women I met at the gym and another with whom I walk regularly. Now, lest you think the two from the gym were longtime friends I want to clarify. I started working out at this particular gym because my daughter was a physical therapist there. It was a different type of workout than I’d ever done. Their small classes are crossfit style, in addition to weight training. There’s not a lot of time to sit around and chit chat.

She sets about her work vigorously; 
her arms are strong for her tasks.
Proverbs 31:17

I found that some people have the unique ability to actually talk to others while dying, I mean working out, on the rowing machine. It was during these times I discovered some of the Christians in the group. They were open with their faith journeys. So, when my walking buddy urged me to start a new Bible study, I prayed about who to invite. God urged me to ask some of the ladies I sort of knew from the gym. Two of them immediately said, “yes.”

Had I not stepped out of my comfort zone and joined the crossfit craze, had I not made a commitment to working out every weekday at 6:30a.m., I wouldn’t have met these amazing women. God used me and my body to serve His kingdom.

I’m currently working on losing a few pounds I gained during the lockdowns. But I have a renewed commitment, not to me, but to God. I want to be in the best physical shape I can be so that He opens more doors and places me where I can do His work. I know with this new understanding of my body being a living sacrifice and the help of His Holy Spirit I will be in fighting shape soon.

If you want this too, add the prayer to your daily prayer list and watch and see how God works in your life!

Tag: balance

Step 2: Humble Servant

Work It for God