Balance and Deposits

Tuesday, February 14, 2006

In order to stay in balance, we must first make certain we make the right deposits. Think about what we must do to ensure that our account is continually replenished.

We know from scripture that our strength comes first of all from God's Word.

Psalm 119:28--My soul is weary with sorrow; strengthen me according to your word.

The Word of God is our resource to get us through times of weariness and sorrow. The Psalmist said it would strengthen us.

John 15:7--If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.

This is an incredible blank check, given to us by our Lord Jesus. And few of us ever draw on it. By allowing the Words of Jesus to abide in us, we are given this blank check of resources. Maybe the real problem is we don't want to, don't know how, or for some reason just don't allow God's words to abide in us.

What does it mean to remain in Jesus and allow His words to remain in us? Well, it means time spent reading, meditating and studying God's Word. Significant time. Do you do that regularly? As a child of God, your life will always be out of balance until you have a steady diet of the Bible in your life.

Our strength also comes from the joy of the Lord within us.

Nehemiah 8:10--Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.

Proverbs 17:22--A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.

Joy implies contentment, peace, fulfillment. It's important to remind ourselves that joy is not synonymous with happiness. Joy is that deeper, abiding sense of completeness which is present even when circumstances are not happy or enjoyable.

David prayed, "Restore to me the joy of my salvation." When we've sinned and are out of fellowship with the Lord, we lose our joy and that really drains our account. So, we need to pour that joy in by keeping a clean slate with the Lord. Also, if you think about the wrong things, your joy will be robbed. Negative thoughts, critical thoughts, judgmental thoughts, complaining thoughts–these will all rob you of joy, and joy is an essential for a balanced life.

The Christian Working Woman Transcript