“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:” Ecclesiastes 3:1
We live in a day of specialization, when we ought to strive to be general practitioners. What I mean by that is that we should try to achieve balance rather than going overboard in any one area of life. There are people who cultivate their brain and not their body, and there are others who get plenty of exercise yet don’t feed their mind. Some people will excel in an area such as art or music but can’t hold down a job because they lack practical skills. Ideally, we should get some smarts, get exercise, be musical, and work hard. Investing some time into each of these areas can help us to accomplish more for the Lord.
The best way to develop the mind is to read. You may not think reading is your thing, but you need to make it your thing because God gave us his word in written form. Ask God for wisdom, and then do your part by including reading as an important part of your daily routine.
“Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.” 1 Timothy 4:13
If you are physically weak and frail, then you need to get stronger. I don’t see any weaklings doing anything for the Lord in the Bible. If you are a person that is physically weak, then you need to work at becoming stronger.
"A wise man is strong; yea, a man of knowledge increaseth strength.” Proverbs 24:5
“She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms.” Proverbs 31:17
If music isn’t your thing, just show up to church and sing your heart out until it becomes your thing. I know I’ve mentioned this before, but it bears repeating. The singing isn’t just a filler—it’s an important part of the church service since God commands us to sing.
“Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing.” Psalm 100:1-2
When it comes to the Christian life, there is something to be said for being a Jack of all trades. We need to not only read our Bibles and have our own personal walk with God, but we also need to show up for church and go out soul winning. The Bible is an infinite book, so reading it from cover to cover routinely will help us to approach life with a balanced perspective. Participating in church and soul winning will provide fellowship and exercise and will benefit you physically as well as spiritually.
“But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.” James 1:22
Here is a sermon to go with this article.
Hi. It's good to have a bit of knowledge about a lot of things, as it makes for conversation with people you may otherwise have nothing in common with. I do think though, one should also learn to balance between studying the Bible and what it teaches about things, while still having love for the lost. It can happen like you learn about all the sin, the filth, in the world - and see how people warm up to that, and enjoy it - and then you can get demotivated and end up isolating yourself, even having contempt for people. It's something I struggle with, being in a country with no real church to speak of (tons of fake ones though) and where the country/people are awash with wickedness. Trying to regain love for others while at the same time not compromising the Bible and going the way of the "love" which the false prophets speak of (=condoning sin and never speaking against sin).
ReplyDeleteGod speed from afar, and I trust there will be a "wicked Donald Trump" sermon coming soon :-) can't wait! (even though the elections are pre-planned and this is the elite's choice, still can't help thinking "thank goodness it's not Killary" as she is just 100% nasty, and would have been USA's first female president and the SECOND homo president after Barry)
Well said Pastor.
ReplyDeleteThis is such wise counsel and rarely discussed or preached.
In the old classical education, you were taught the so-called Septivium (comprising the Trivium: grammar, logic and rhetoric; and Quadrivium: arithmetic, geometry, music and astronomy). It was believed that a well-rounded man could become an autodidact (teach himself) thereafter from these 7 rudiments.
There is much faulty with worldly education whether founded on ancient Greco-Roman philosophy or today's Prussian model. Instead, we can achieve balance and become well-rounded Christian men and women if we put in hard work in these alternate 7 rudiments, which are easy to remember (incidentally the number 7 frequently occurs in God's word):
#1 BELIEF
Founding all your "philosophy" or world view on the King James Bible by reading, understanding and memorizing it (2 Timothy 3:16, KJV).
#2 DIET
Eating as God intended in order to be physically healthy (3 John 2, KJV). You wrote a great blog post about this sometime back and included several verses from the KJV. Here is a wonderful sermon on this topic from Pastor Manly Perry's 3:16 series (Leviticus 3:16, KJV).
#3 REGIMEN
This means any daily routine that fosters and reinforces strength, courage, discipline and perseverance including physical exercise, fight training especially for men (Psalms 144:1, KJV) and scripture memory drills (Ephesians 6:10 - 18, KJV comes readily to mind).
#4 ART
Music is a great example you have given. In fact it is the one art given most prominence in the KJV, specifically in Psalms and Song of Solomon. Psalms 33:3 (KJV) clearly and specifically tells us to aim to be skillful musicians.
#5 CRAFT
Slightly different from art, which is more concerned with beauty and mind. There's a lot of positive emphasis on cunning in the KJV (especially in Exodus), meaning having skillful hands to make good things -- as opposed to jobs like usurious banking and money-changing where nothing of real value is produced. Few references are negative (like Ephesians 4:14, KJV speaking about deceitfulness). So Christian men and women can take cue and work at being cunning with their hands and create good things.
#6 TRADE
2 Thessalonians 3:10 (KJV). Better yet if your craft and cunning becomes your trade. Mrs. Anderson's Cute & Covered business is a great example of this. Nuff said.
#7 FRIENDSHIP
You have heard it said of men that no man is an island. But Christians must remember what is written in Proverbs 18:24 (KJV). Jesus called his disciples friends (John 15:15, KJV). Therefore, we ought to win souls not only for the Lord, but to be our friends also.
7 things to remember to become a balanced Christian.
I really have to work on music :/
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