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By that, we mean that God created mankind in His image, perfect &
complete. But, we live in a sinful world and many of our lives are
so out of balance, in so many ways! We're in terrible health; We're
ate up with stress; We're in debt up to our eyeballs; Our families
are a mess and We certainly don't have the joy of the Lord in our
lives! How did this happen and is there anything we can do to
restore some order and balance to our lives??!! Now, I'm not
a Licensed Psychologist or Psychiatrist or even a Trained Counselor,
but it seems to me that the BIBLE holds the keys to seeking God's
will for our lives to bring about a balance and peace of mind that
we desperately desire. We'll look at a few of these areas on this
page: PHYSICALLY, FINANCIALLY, EMOTIONALLY, RELATIONALLY, and
SPIRITUALLY. Please realize, that entire books have been written
about each of these facets of our lives, so I cannot/will not go
into any real depth, but still there are some basic Biblical
concepts that can give us some real help and hope. The Bible speaks
of both Samuel from the Old Testament and Jesus from the New
Testament living lives that were balanced---they grew in Wisdom,
Stature and in Favor with God and Man (1 Samuel 2:26 & Luke 2:52).
PHYSICALLY:
(1) I must come to terms with the fact that men are different
from women. God made them both in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 1:27,
2:18-25) different and complimentary. Both genders have
similarities, differences, strengths and weaknesses that are both
needed to see that society continues on. Both are needed to bring
about new life and help keep the current society in balance. When
one is filled with jealousy, envy or pride towards the other or
perhaps filled with a sense of unworthiness and a desire to
withdraw, then we all suffer.
(2) I must be more concerned about my inward qualities than my
outward. They say that "beauty is only skin deep, but ugly goes all
the way to the bone." We live in a society that is obsessed with
outward appearances. We all want the desirable figure/physique and
want to buy all the lotions and tonics to look and smell better, as
if there were a miracle in a bottle! 1 Samuel 16:7 says that God
looks at the heart, not the outside appearance. 1 Peter 3:3,4 says
that we should not try to make ourselves look good just by outward
beauty aids & jewelry, but by a true and kind heart. 1 Timothy
4:7,8 says that Physical training has some merit, but we really need
to be training ourselves to be Godly, which has merit in the
here-and-now, and also for eternity. We've got to realize that no
matter how much Botox, face lifts, callogen or whatever
exercises.....we will all get old, wrinkled, sick and DIE! When our
body is in the pine-box, the mourners may say that our "shell" still
looks good, but at that very same moment what will God, our Judge,
be saying about the appearance of our soul??
(3) We've all got to come to terms with the fact that we will all
die. Now, doctors may have developed ways in which we can prolong
our lives here on this earth, but we will still all die somehow,
sometime. We must understand the frailty of our flesh--we get sick,
we get tired, we get old, we get hurt....you get the idea. Psalm
90:10 says that we get an average of 70 years to live or 80 if we're
strong. See also Psalm 90:12, 39:4-6 and James 4:13ff for some
other real encouraging words about the duration and
strength of our days!
(4) Finally, we must understand that our bodies are the Temple of
God's Holy Spirit and then somehow find
a balance between the 2 concepts that, on the one hand, I must not
abuse my body, but on the other hand, I must not worship the human
form. We have been made in a fearful and wonderful way with bodies
that are capable of doing so many tasks. The way our eyes work, the
power of our blood pumper in our chest, the sheer impossiblity of
our balance, the miles of blood tubes running through us---all are
mind boggling and confirming that a real intelligence is behind this
special creature, not just eons of random selections. We have every
right to be amazed at who we are, but we must remember that we are
the Creature, not the Creator. We are not all there is. We have
been bought with a price and cannot live just for ourselves and the
cravings of our flesh. We have the strength to say "NO" to things
that can harm us---tobbacco, alcohol, too many Big Macs (oops, did
he really say that?!), other drugs, gambling, illicit sexual
behavior and a myriad of other actions that can enslave us into
addictions---even time on the internet! while we cannot worship our
bodies as the be-all and end-all of life, we cannot destroy them
either. They are the Temple that houses God's Spirit in us, so we
need to care for, nourish and help them to be the best they can for
His service. If we are already caught up in various abuses and
addictions, what can we do?
Claim God's promises that we can do anything through Christ Who
gives us the strength (Phil 4:13) and also that God will not give us
more than we can bear (1 Corinthians 10:13). You are not alone in
this. Others are struggling, some have beat it, some are in the
process, & some still haven't even admitted it to themselves yet.
Help is available on so many fronts from your family, to your
church, to your friends, to other societal agencies that have varied
plans to help you to overcome whatever addiction you have. Are you
reaching out for the help that is already available to you?
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