Balance Beam

My seven-year-old daughter is doing gymnastics, and it’s great. It’s her space and when she performs, she’s looking to make sure her brothers are watching her. After all, she’s watched them in countless basketball games so now it’s her turn.

One of the events she does is the balance beam. This is intimidating as it’s narrow and requires staying balanced while doing the routine. This is the practice of body control as she maneuvers up and down the beam. I’m probably more nervous than she is, but seeing her try is great.

But this blog isn’t about my daughter’s gymnastics, it’s about what this picture speaks to us in our faith.

Understanding the Bible and how we live it out is like a balance beam. We need the ability to stay in context with the entirety of the word of God when applying it to our lives. Otherwise, we can be imbalanced which is to be out of alignment with God.

“Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

II Timothy 2:15

Notice we must rightly divide the word of truth which speaks to that balance beam for us. 

However, groups and individuals tend to build dogmatic beliefs off one or two scriptures which then leads to an imbalance. 

The entirety of God’s word is truth; therefore, we must take all of it to have a balance that leads to fruitful faith. 

So, here are four questions to ask yourself to be skillful on the balance beam of faith.

First, Is it biblical?

When we’re deciding anything in our lives, we may ask, “Is it biblical?” When we obey what the Bible says, we can have success (see Joshua 1:8). Also, when understanding a topic like women preachers, tithing, sexual purity, and more, we must see the theme of scripture throughout the whole Bible. 

When we understand this, we’ll see the principles God lays out, so we can access the entirety of scripture properly. 

This is so important because the word of God is infallible, and when we base our lives on what’s biblical, we’re better, we’re safe, and we’re balanced.

Second, what did the early church do and say about it?

This is a great way to process information because the apostles were with Jesus personally and saw what He did and how He did it. Furthermore, how they believed and practiced their faith was a direct result of being with Jesus and filled with the Holy Spirit. 

We see this in the book of Acts and Paul’s Apostles. 

These examples are a model for us, showing us how they practiced their faith and the results that happened because of it. 

Now, we understand that our amenities and resources have changed to share the gospel and reach our world for Jesus. But, the foundation of our faith can be seen in how the early church did things and what they said about it. This helps us be balanced.

Third, what does nature show us?

This is big because Romans 1:20 says, “Creation reflects the Godhead, and no one is without excuse.”

Meaning nature reflects God in His ways and patterns. For example, nature shows us the plan of a family in reproduction; what you sow is what you reap, seasons come and go, and more. It reveals truths that govern our world and gives insight into our faith.

Nature is God’s will in motion. It’s doing what God told it to do. It’s functioning because God made it to. It exists because God made it. 

This truth has a part to play in being balanced in our faith. 

Fourth, what is our conscience saying?

God speaks through our conscience. We know right and wrong, and when we’re guilty of something, our conscience lets us know about it. 

This is good because God uses this to speak to and guide us in His ways. We must keep our conscience clean, so we’re freed to connect with God and reach for Him. When our conscience is not clean, we feel shame, and we’re hindered from reaching God. 

“Cling to your faith in Christ, and keep your conscience clear. Some people have deliberately violated their consciences; as a result, their faith has been shipwrecked.”

1 Timothy 1:19

This is bigger than we realize because when we drift away from God and ignore our conscience doing wrong, we’re in danger of our conscience being dark and confused going away from God.

“Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship Him as God or even give Him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused.”

Romans 1:21

When our conscience is saying this is wrong and stop doing it etc., that’s the Lord reaching for us. We’re empowered to be on the balance beam with fruitful faith when we respond to it.

How are you doing on the balance beam?

When we love Jesus with our heart, soul, and mind, we’ll be balanced and produce fruit that remains. 

Let’s move forward on the balance beam with clarity, understanding, and passion. Jesus is there and wants us to thrive and show others who He is.

Let’s make a difference one person at a time.

PD