What causes my life to become unbalanced?
James 3:14-16If you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your heart, don’t cover up the truth with boasting and lying. For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind.
Life becomes unbalanced when we dwell on earthly problems and sinful desires rather than focusing on God’s wisdom. We must consider our habitual thought patterns when we set out to diagnose dysfunction in our lives.
1 Timothy 6:9People who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction.
Making the pursuit of financial success the central focus of life always leads to unbalanced living.
Hebrews 13:5Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.”
Feelings of discontent often result in an unbalanced life because they cause us to focus too much on what we cannot have, should not have, or will not have. It is important to meet our own needs for food, shelter, and clothing, but focusing too much on ourselves will cause us to neglect one of God’s greatest mandates to us: helping others who are in need. The more we focus on ourselves, the more dissatisfied we will become, because we can never get everything we want. As we balance meeting our needs with meeting the needs of others, we will find contentment and joy in being able to care for them.
2 Corinthians 8:12-14Whatever you give is acceptable if you give it eagerly. And give according to what you have, not what you don’t have. Of course, I don’t mean your giving should make life easy for others and hard for yourselves. I only mean that there should be some equality. Right now you have plenty and can help those who are in need. Later, they will have plenty and can share with you when you need it. In this way, things will be equal.
Excess often reveals imbalance. Too much of anything means there is not enough of something else: Prioritizing accumulation of wealth can lead to a lack of generosity, but it’s also dangerous to give recklessly. Be wise in how you help others, but be willing and eager to help them.
2 Peter 2:19They [false teachers] promise freedom, but they themselves are slaves of sin and corruption. For you are a slave to whatever controls you.
We are often tempted by promises of freedom, and that includes false promises. Our addictions are often the result of embracing false promises. Any addiction will steer our lives into a downward spiral. Anything that controls us—be it drugs, alcohol, work, or even a hobby—will knock our lives out of balance. Only God can control us without destroying us.
