Dear Christians, Endeavor to Live a Balanced Life (Bible Study)
There is a thin line between sense and nonsense, zeal and extremism, faith and fanatism.
As a Christian, I try as much as possible not to follow a teaching (or message) to the extent of condemning and cancelling anyone who do not believe in it. That is how fanatics are raised. In fact, that is how terrorists are trained.
I love grace message, and I also love other messages like healing, faith, success, relationship etc. I teach success, and I also teach grace, faith, dominion, prayer, power, spiritual growth and the rest.
Living an unbalanced life can lead to premature death. Some people lack interpersonal skills because they are always in the spirit.
Some people developed debilitating ailments because they failed to understand that we are spirit beings in an earthly suit. I have heard countless tales of people who died while trying to break the record of number of days one can engage in dry fasting. They want to become assistant Jesus.
Jesus Christ is our perfect example. If you take a closer look at His life and time in the gospels, you will discover that Jesus did not hang on to just one aspect of life, He lived a balanced life.
Let me show you some of them. Pay close attention.
(a). Jesus Christ attended wedding ceremony.
“On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding.” John 2:1-2 (NKJV).
Jesus Christ ran one of the busiest ministries on earth, yet He had time to socialize. He attended a wedding ceremony just like normal human being. In fact, by being sociable, He had the opportunity to reach more people when He turned water into wine at the event.
(b). Jesus Christ visited His friends.
Jesus did not only have friends, He visited them. One example is the family at Bethany:
“Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word.” Luke 10:38-39 (NKJV).
For you to know that Jesus was their friend, look at the content of the message they sent to Jesus when Lazarus was sick:
“Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. Therefore, the sisters sent to Him, saying, “Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.” John 11:1-3 (NKJV).
Look at verse 5; “Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.” John 11:5.
Pay attention to what Jesus said to His disciples before they went to Bethany to raise Lazarus from the dead;
“These things He said, and after that He said to them, “Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up.” John 11:11 (NKJV).
Rabbinic literature from after the time of the New Testament shows that the rabbis taught that the soul hung around the body for three days looking for an opportunity to re-enter it, but when decomposition set in on the fourth day, the soul left.
Jesus waited until His friend was confirmed dead so that no one would doubt the miracle. He used His friend’s death to draw souls to His Father.
“Then many of the Jews who had come to Mary, and had seen the things Jesus did, believed in Him.” John 11:45 (NKJV).
(c). Jesus Christ attended funeral service.
We’ve just seen how He went to the funeral of His friend. Although He raised him from the dead, but if He was not sociable, He would have remained where He was when He discovered that Lazarus was already dead. But He went there and even wept when He saw the people crying.
“Now it happened, the day after, that He went into a city called Nain; and many of His disciples went with Him, and a large crowd. And when He came near the gate of the city, behold, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother; and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the city was with her. When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.” Then He came and touched the open coffin, and those who carried him stood still. And He said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” So he who was dead sat up and began to speak. And He presented him to his mother.” Luke 7:11-15 (NKJV).
He had compassion for the woman who lost her only son and interrupted the funeral procession, raised the boy from the dead and the following happened;
“Then fear came upon all, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has risen up among us”; and, “God has visited His people.” And this report about Him went throughout all Judea and all the surrounding region.” Luke 7:16-17 (NKJV).
(d). Jesus Christ did not fast forever, He ate food like normal human being.
Matthew reported, “Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry.” Matthew 4:1-2.
Do you know that there are people who wants us to believe that being hungry is carnality? They believe that the only way to remain spiritually sound is to fast every day of your life. But Jesus did not do that. He fasted often, but He also ate often. He modeled balanced life to us. Fasting is wonderful, but please, eat. You need necessary vitamins to remain alive unless you want to die.
Brother Mark documented this wonderful incident,
“Now the next day, when they had come out from Bethany, He was hungry. And seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find something on it. When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. In response Jesus said to it, “Let no one eat fruit from you ever again.” And His disciples heard it.” Mark 11:12-14.
This is a humorous story. The poor fig tree bore the brunt of a hungry Man. Although, it was not the right time for fig trees to bear fruit, but our Master was hungry and needed food urgently. He cursed the fig tree for denying Him food.
(e). Jesus Christ wept.
Whoever told us that men do not cry did not tell us the whole truth. Dear men, you need to let out the steam sometimes. Shut your bedroom door or bathroom or wherever and cry. Yes, cry. I am a man of faith, but crying is not a sign of faithlessness—it is a sign that you’re still human. But don’t develop negative self-image on the process. Don’t call for pity-party.
The shortest verse in the entire Bible is John 11:35. “Jesus wept.”
When the King of kings and Lord of lords saw everyone crying because of His late friend, His humanity reacted, and He wept. Jesus, yes, the same Jesus the Christ wept.
Jesus wept because of the loss of His friend. He wept because of their faithlessness. He also wept because Lazarus death reminded Him of what He would go through on the cross.
(f). Jesus had female friends.
I know very well that this is very delicate, but we cannot overlook it. I am not in any way advocating for single brothers to start having girlfriends, but we should not run away from sisters or see them as agents of satan that wants to pull us down. We must have cordial or godly relationship with the opposite sex.
When I see how we stereotype women I get angry. Women played important roles in the ministry of Jesus. We should stop seeing women as sex objects, they are human being. In fact, no church can grow without women. They are usually the first foot soldiers that run with the vision of the church. They believe easily and are powerful instruments in the body of Christ.
First of all, a woman (Mary) gave birth to Jesus Christ. That is, God was born by a woman. That’s powerful.
Some women teamed up and used their resources to support Jesus’ ministry.
“Now it came to pass, afterward, that He went through every city and village, preaching and bringing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with Him, and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities—Mary called Magdalene, out of whom had come seven demons, and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others who provided for Him from their substance.” Luke 8:1-3 (NKJV).
On the day Jesus was crucified, almost all His disciples deserted Him, but the women stood with Him till the end.
“And many women who followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to Him, were there looking on from afar, among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.” Matthew 27:55-56 (NKJV).
Guess what? It was women that discovered that Jesus Christ had risen;
“Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it. His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men. But the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you.” So, they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word. And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, “Rejoice!” So, they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me.” Matthew 28:1-10 (NKJV).
Women were the first set of people that Jesus Christ spoke to after His resurrection! That shows how important they are in the Kingdom.
If you read the gospels you will discover that Jesus lived a balanced life. He was sociable, He loved people, He interreacted with people, He played with children, He got angry on few occasions and flogged people etc. He came to model to us how to live a balanced life so that no aspect of our lives should be neglected.
There are different areas of your life that you must not neglect:
(1). Spiritual life.
In all you do, do not neglect your spiritual life. As a Christian, your spiritual life is your most valuable asset. I have quite a number of articles on this website that will help you to develop a rugged spiritual life. Just search for my Bible Study articles right here and read as many as you can.
(2). Your health.
Paul said, “For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.” 1 Timothy 4:8 (NKJV).
There is profit in bodily exercise. Exercise helps to control your weight, reduce the risk of heart disease, help your body manage blood sugar and insulin levels, improve your mental health, helps you look sharp and smart, strengthen your bones and muscles, reduce the risk of some cancers (including colon, breast, uterine and lung cancer), reduce your risk of falls, improve your sleep, increase your chances of living longer etc. Read various articles on the internet about the profit of exercise and exercise daily.
(3). Emotional life.
If you are single, please pray for self-control while waiting to get married. I encourage Christian men to get married early to avoid living a double standard life. Settle down quickly with your wife so that you can focus on other matters. If you’re struggling with lust, please inform your spiritual authority and deal with it immediately. Samson lost his eyes because he didn’t confide in anyone when he discovered that he had a challenge with immorality.
Paul said,
“Now concerning the things of which you wrote to me: it is good for a man not to touch a woman. Nevertheless, because of sexual immorality, let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband. Let the husband render to his wife the affection due her, and likewise also the wife to her husband. The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. And likewise, the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. Do not deprive one another except with consent for a time, that you may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again so that Satan does not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.” 1 Corinthians 7:1-5 (NKJV).
So, get married instead of burning with passion. Your emotional life is very important. But if you are not yet ready for marriage, pray for self-control.
But emotional life does not end with sex. It also includes affection, sexual fulfilment, intimate conversation, validation, empathy, trust, acceptance etc.
(4). Social life.
This is where many Christians are not measuring up. On several occasions, I took some Christians to events and they didn’t know how to connect with others. They felt uncomfortable because they have spent all their lives in the church. Everything they know revolves around prayer, fasting, preaching, teaching etc. We need to connect with others just like Jesus did.
Learn to socialize. Don’t be a recluse. Even monks have time to engage in sporting activities and also run businesses. Attend wedding receptions, funerals, meetings etc. Join professional bodies. Join organizations like Full Gospel Business Men’s Fellowship, Rotary Club International, sports clubs in your city etc. Be a human being!
Most Christians pray for connections and destiny helpers, but they don’t socialize. To be connected to your destiny helpers you must go to where you will meet them. I am not encouraging you to join bad gangs or start going to night clubs, there are decent places you can go to—restaurants, sporting events, wedding etc.
Brother John said, “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.” 3 John 1:2 (NKJV).
Wisdom is justified by her children.
I believe this article blessed you. Kindly share your thought with us at the comment section below.
If you want to recieve Jesus into your heart, say this short prayer and believe it from your heart:
Lord Jesus, I belive that you died to rescue me from damnation. Come into my heart and save me. I declare today that You are my Lord and personal Saviour. I am saved. I am born again. Thank you Jesus. Amen.
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You are a genius. Thank you very much for this teaching.
Thanks. I appreciate.
Nice reflections, thank you brother and remain blessed Amen.
It’s an amazing topic presented amazingly you are lifted man of God
Thank you sir.
Living a balance life will guarantee a balance life on Earth.
All we were told is to be spiritual.
Your writing prowess is excellent sir. I believed also in living a balanced life as a Christian.
Thanks for sharing.
Thank you so much.