Dear People of God at St. John’s,

 

You might remember a few weeks ago when we discussed the parable of the Good Samaritan. When an expert in the law asked Jesus, ‘what must I do to inherit eternal life?’  Jesus asked ‘what

does it say in Scripture?’, and the lawyer responded by saying; ‘to love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind’, and he continued by saying ‘love

your neighbor as yourself’ (Luke 10:27). In this same message I referenced the 3 Stooges and the wobbly table and spoke of the importance of all 4 legs balanced.

 

I have been mulling over this message, and it leans on an earlier question I asked about

what your faith practices are and how do you nourish your heart, soul, strength and mind?

 

This parable brought to the surface the need for balance, and my own need for balance. How can we do the work of Jesus here on this earth unless we ourselves are balanced?  How about you?

 

Our emotional side (heart) our spiritual side (soul), our physical side (strength) and our mental side (mind) all need to be balanced and stable so that we can be in perfect communion with God… SO THAT we can love our neighbor.

 

I shared that the goal in building a table is to have all four legs be the same length, strong and

stable.  Balanced.  The goal of God’s people is that our love for God and our love for others also needs to be strong and stable.  Balanced. When we are balanced, we can tend to the needs of others with greater ease. 

 

If you just asked yourself, how can we do that, then you’re in good company.  The answer is not as difficult as you might think, however, it does take a focus and determination to grow. 

 

We are (human) beings that need constant nourishment. We need to take steps to feed our heart, soul and mind and we can do this in various ways.  Read Scripture; join a bible study; avoid things that try to break you down; adopt a positive attitude. Grow in fellowship with one another (this is where we gain our strength). Join a group that you are interested in; be crafty and share your

talents and gifts with others, and let us not forget to pray.  Never cease in praying as the Apostle Paul wrote. Worship and praise God at every moment.  It is just as important for us to take care of our physical needs.  Take a walk through nature, start an exercise program and always be sure to invite friends along the way. 

 

Each step is important to who we are, but difficult when done by ourselves.  That is why we need one another. We need partners to walk with us through this life, so that we can grow to love God with all our heart, soul, strength and mind, and love our neighbor as ourselves. 

 

Are you ready to be balanced in your faith? I am! Let’s do this together!  

 

In His Peace,

 

Pastor Debbie