Ephesians 4:1-3 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. (NIV)
Living a balanced life: is where you apply your Christian experience to every area of your life.
All through the Bible the Christian life is pictured as a walk.
Vs. 1 Walk worthy of your vocation. (KJV)
1 John 1:7 "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another..." (NIV)
How do we live a life that God has called us to live?
We identify what is keeping us from living a life that God has called us to.
Fear / rejection / guilt / shame / past / unforgiveness / bitterness
God will use difficult people to grow you and to mature you.
Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (NIV)
Therefore we focus on Qualities for Living a Balanced Life:
1. We walk in Humility.
James 4:6 & 10 God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble: Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. (NIV)
Rick Warren - "Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it is thinking of yourself less."
The reason we have trouble being humble is what if people really knew I had problems, what would they really think of me?
2. We walk in Gentleness.
"Prautes" - an inward grace of the soul calmness toward God in particular.
It takes Humility is to bow; but Gentleness gives us the strength to bow.
Colossians 3:12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. (NIV)
3. We walk in Patience.
James 5:7-8 Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. (NIV)
4. We walk in Endurance.
Vs. 2 Bearing with one another in love. (NIV)
And this brings Unity and Balance to Life!
