Are You Spiritually Balanced?

Very nicely done, Emily. We appreciate that very much. Sure glad we didn't miss that. I need to look at my announcements more carefully.

Before I actually begin the sermon, I might mention that my wife is in Alaska, and I am going to have an opportunity to join her for about a week or so, maybe eight or nine days. I think the idea, though, is to get me there so she can stay longer. My daughter wants her to stay longer so she can continue to babysit. My daughter is working part-time, so I think they're conspiring to get me out there just so my wife can stay longer and not feel so bad about being away from me so long. I'm looking forward to joining them. I might even get a chance to catch a salmon or two. I'll just miss one Sabbath.

This coming Sabbath, I'll be in Lubbock, then the next Sabbath, I'll be in Alaska, then I'll be back the following Sabbath.

Well, brethren, this Presidential election year has really been a bit wild, hasn't it? In fact, it's the most wild I have ever recalled or remember since I've been alive. I think probably since George Washington.

It's been an interesting presidential campaign for sure. Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders. You know, I didn't even know who Bernie Sanders was until a couple of years ago I was in Alaska, and I saw this huge sign in someone's yard that said, Bernie Sanders. I thought, who's that? I'm not very political, and I don't talk much about politics, as you well know.

I'm not going to talk about politics today, either, by the way. This is not a sermon at all about politics. But I have tuned in a little bit to watch a little bit of the circus that's been going on. Ted Cruz was a part of all of this, of course, until he got Trumped.

I actually got a few laughs about that. I thought it was pretty cheesy, frankly.

So, you know, to me it's just a sad state of affairs that the best we can do is Donald and Hillary. I mean, to me that just speaks of the sign of the times. That we're now living in, to be down to these choices that we have.

I know Ted Cruz was considered probably the most conservative of the bunch by a long shot. He wasn't considered moderate, by any means. He was considered a real conservative. I guess Hillary would be considered the most moderate, but I wouldn't consider her very moderate. You know, again, I'm not planning on talking about politics, but I did want to talk about moderation or being balanced. And to some degree, being temperate and what that means. So what does the Bible have to say about being balanced? About being moderate, about being temperate. Do you consider yourself to be balanced? I'm talking mainly spiritually balanced here. Are you spiritually balanced? Do others consider you to be balanced? What does it mean to be balanced from a Biblical perspective? Could you stand to be more balanced? Are there certain principles in the Bible that help us define what being balanced means?

Webster's dictionary says that balance is a state of equilibrium. It's also an instrument for weighing. Being weighed in the balance, especially one with two matched pans hanging from either end of a poised lever. You've seen the balance that I'm referring to. Another definition is mental or emotional stability.

But again, we're talking about spiritual stability or spiritual balance. So I'm sure we've heard and even used the expression ourselves, that person doesn't seem very balanced.

At the same time, some people seem to think that being balanced means just a little bit of something, even if it's harmful or wrong.

Doing just a little bit of something, even if it's harmful or wrong, that's balance. Some seem to think that just a little bit of sin in their lives is being balanced. I suppose they think, well, none of us is perfect, so it's expected that we sin from time to time. And by doing so and having this mentality, I believe they tend to excuse their sins to some degree. Some would think that you and I are not very balanced because we choose not to eat any pork. That's not very balanced, is it? To never eat pork, to never eat shrimp, to never eat any lobster, to never eat any catfish. I remember a lady I met once at a potluck we were having in a different church area, and I explained to her about our dietary needs. She said, what do you eat? There's plenty that we can eat, but we don't eat those things I mentioned. I guess she was used to eating all of those things. Also, once I was talking to a lady about fasting and what it was about, she said, you don't eat or drink anything at all when you fast? I've never done that in my life. I'm sure she didn't think I was very balanced because I would take 24 hours and fast without food or drink.

Some have asked, what can you do on the Sabbath? After hearing what we do on the Sabbath, of course there's much that we can do on the Sabbath, some think we're fanatical or unbalanced because we observe the Sabbath and we strive to keep it for the full 24 hours from sunset to sunset, striving to keep it holy, and they think that seems to be kind of unbalanced. You mean you don't ever work ever on Saturday? You mean you give a whole 10% of your income to the church? You mean you don't eat any bread? For seven days, at least not 11 bread, the kind of bread that is normal. You don't eat any of that for seven days? You mean you actually wash each other's feet? Is that balanced? You mean you don't keep Christmas? You don't keep New Year's? You don't keep Valentine's Day? You don't keep Easter? You don't keep Halloween? The person who asked those questions, I think, was afraid that we were right about those pagan days. So, brethren, make no mistake, it's not balanced to have a little sin in your life. That's not what balance is, to have a little sin in your life. You're actually out of balance when you sin just a little bit. So, I guess, in one sense, you could say that we're all unbalanced at times. Because we're all sinners, we all fall short of the balanced God, the God who's truly balanced spiritually in the right way. We don't have godly balance all the time. Our goal should be to become spiritually balanced, like the Father and like Jesus Christ, without any sin. So, today I'd like to share with you four biblical principles in regard to becoming more balanced in a godly way, in a spiritual way. Four biblical principles. So, let's think about these principles and let's consider them as we go through the sermon today. Number one, being spiritually balanced means to be righteous.

That spiritual balance, being righteous, it means to live by every word. Let's go to Job 31 for a moment as we look at some of the scriptures that bear out these principles. Job 31, verse 6. Job 31, verse 6. You might notice, since we're there, in verse 1, Job says, I've made a covenant with my eyes. Why then should I look upon a young woman? That doesn't seem very balanced, does it? To make a covenant with your eyes like that. But that's what Job did. Notice verse 6. Let me be weighed on honest scales. This is what Job is saying. Job was in this predicament. Why? Because he was so unrighteous? No, he was in this predicament because he was righteous. The most righteous man. And God was actually using him as an example of a righteous man. But he was being tried sorely at the time. He says, let me be weighed on honest scales that God may know my integrity. Well, God knew his integrity, and again, that's why he was being set apart as an example in this case. Let me be weighed on honest scales. An honest balance.

So here it talks about a just or an even balance. It's talking about a right or honest balance. When you get gas in your car, when you go to get gas, you hope the meter is balanced, don't you? That it's accurate. That it's true. That it's honest. You don't want to pay for 10 gallons of gas and only get 8.5 gallons.

You want a balance that's true and accurate and right.

When you get on the scales at home, you want it to give you the honest truth, right? Well, maybe not. Especially if there's someone else around.

You sure don't want it to say that you're heavier than you are, do you? You want an honest and a true balance. When we go to the doctor's office, they weigh us on a balanced scale. You have to move the weight over to get the true weight. That's a balance. And it's to be an honest balance. Let's go to Joel 2, verse 23. Joel 2, verse 23.

Be glad then, you children of Zion, and rejoice in the Eternal your God, for he has given you the former reign faithfully. He has given you the former reign faithfully. Now, the word former...

Is that what I'm looking for here?

No, let's... Well, let's just continue here. God has given us the former reign moderately. Let's continue to read there. Oh, moderately. The word faithfully is the word moderately as well. He has given you the former reign moderately or faithfully. And he will cause the reign to come down for you, the former reign and the latter reign in the first month. No, God says he will give reign in due season, that he'll give the appropriate amount, the right amount, the correct amount that will make things grow the best.

This word translated moderately is the word... T-S... I think it's in the King James. This is the New King James. It's translated moderately, I believe, in the King James. Faithfully in the New King James, it's the word...

T-S-E-D-A-Q-U-A-H. That's the Hebrew word. Don't know how to pronounce it, but it's T-S-E-D-A-Q-U-A-H. And basically it means rightness. It is from the primary word... T-S-A-D-A-Q, which means to be right. So what it's saying is it's the right amount that God is giving the right, the proper, the appropriate amount. Again, rain and dew season. Now this word is used 157 times in the Old Testament. It is translated righteousness, right or righteous 141 times.

So actually, to be balanced means, at least in one sense, it means to be right. That's balanced. To be right. To be honest. To be true. To be faithful. That's what it means to be balanced. It is balanced to not eat any pork because God says it's unclean. That's balance. It's balanced not to keep or observe any pagan holidays because clearly they are pagan and God says don't learn the way of the heathen. It's balanced not to take any illegal drugs.

It's against the law. And some, even that are legal, are harmful and should not be taken. It's balanced to not eat or drink anything on the day of atonement or other days of fasting. That's balanced because that's the right thing to do. When you are righteously following God's laws, you are in perfect balance. You are spiritually balanced. That means that you are taking both the letter and also the spirit of God's law into account. So the letter and the spirit, they're both important.

True balance is doing it God's way. God is balanced. He is right. He is righteous. He isn't overly strict. Nor is He overly merciful. God is strict. And He's also merciful. God sets the standards for balanced living. In Psalm 103, verse 10, it shows that God has not dealt with us according to our many sins.

We can be very grateful for that. We can be thankful to God for His mercy. Psalm 103, verse 10, He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor punished us according to our iniquities. God is perfectly merciful and righteous as He knows how to be. He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor punished us according to our iniquities. He has shown mercy toward us. God devised a plan whereby we may be forgiven our sins and be born into His family.

Again, we can be grateful to God for that. Thankfully, He has taken a balanced or godly approach toward us, His children. 2 Corinthians 10, verse 5. By the way, I would like to welcome a number of guests.

I noticed we had people coming from Big Sandy just to wear one of these shirts. We've had a number of other people from around various areas, so welcome to our church here in Dallas today. 2 Corinthians 10, verse 5. Again, we're talking about what's truly balanced. Let's see what God says here in regard to our thoughts. 2 Corinthians 10, verse 5. Let's read verse 4 along with it. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but they're mighty in God for pulling down strongholds so that we can make progress, so we can be overcomers, so we can put sin out of our lives, casting down arguments in every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity.

That's what balance is, is bringing every thought into captivity until the obedience of our Savior Jesus Christ. Christ was balanced. He never sinned. He was perfectly true, perfectly honest. He was right. And that's the example that we all need to follow. So this is a high and a holy calling.

It's not something that we can take lightly or take for granted. This is something that we really need to take very seriously and realize that we're called to bring every thought into captivity. Now, I don't know about you, but I haven't gotten there yet. You know, that's not an easy thing to do. That's a very difficult thing to do, but that's what we're to be striving for in this life. To bring every thought into captivity so that we might be obedient children. Just as our Savior Jesus Christ was tempted at every point as we are, yet He was without sin.

And no doubt it's because of the thoughts that He brought into captivity. He did not allow Himself to go places that we allow ourselves to go. And that's when sin becomes a part of our lives.

So let's strive to be balanced and bring every thought into captivity.

So the first principle, being balanced, means to be righteous. It means to put on the mind of Christ and to be righteous, to be honest, to be true, to be faithful. Secondly, being balanced means doing all things in godly moderation. Godly moderation, it means not doing too much or too little. It means being temperate in how we approach life. It means doing what is appropriate under the circumstances. So we have to make judgments, obviously. We have to be discerning people. We are to learn to judge angels one day. It means not overreacting and not underreacting as we go throughout our lives, but responding appropriately, according to, again, the circumstances and the situation. Let's go to 1 Corinthians chapter 9. 1 Corinthians chapter 9. Verse 24. This was actually a sermon that I gave probably 25 years ago, or 20... when I first started thinking about this topic, about being balanced. I've heard people talk about being balanced and what that means. So I did a study on this, and I was taken by what this really means. 1 Corinthians chapter 9 verse 24. Do you not know that those who run in a race, they all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. Run with diligence. Run wholeheartedly. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. That's verse 25. One who exercises or runs in a certain way is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown. A crown that's going to perish back in the ancient times. It was like a crown of leaves, olive leaves of various crowns like that.

They do it to obtain a perishable crown. But we, for an imperishable crown, a crown that will never fade away, that will never perish. Therefore I run thus, not with uncertainty. We can't afford to run with uncertainty. We can't afford to go through life uncertain. There are absolutes, and we absolutely need to believe in those absolutes. He says, Thus I fight, not as one who beats the air, but I discipline my body, and I bring it into subjection. Paul, an apostle, realized the importance of disciplining himself, lest he become a castaway, as it says in another place. He says, When I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified. Or castaway, or disqualified. So this word, temperate, is another Greek word. It's E-G-K-R-A-T-E-U-O-M-A-I. Again, I'm not going to try to pronounce it because I would butcher it. E-G-K-R-A-T-E-U-O-M-A-I, which means to exercise self-restraint. It is from another word, E-G-K-R-A-T-E-S, which means strong in a thing, or self-control. We're to be strong. We're to be self-controlled. We're to be disciplined. That's one of the fruits of God's Holy Spirit, is to be self-controlled, to control ourselves. We should be balanced, moderate, and temperate in all that we do. It is not right or appropriate to get drunk. That's what the Scripture says. Drunkards are not going to inherit the Kingdom of God, so it's wrong to allow yourself to be drunk. Alcohol should be drunk in moderation, temperately, in a proper balance, not so much that it affects you in a negative way. So we have to be careful how we handle alcohol. If one is an alcoholic, it is balanced or right for them to drink no alcohol. If they're an alcoholic, they really can't afford to drink alcohol because they've proven they can't control it. They can't stop at one drink or two drinks. They continue going on, and it causes trouble and problems and destruction in their lives. So they have to face the music and realize that it's balanced to never drink again. In their case, under their circumstances, their genetic makeup, whatever it is, they shouldn't drink because they've proven they can't handle it.

So they should drink no alcohol except perhaps on Passover evening, when hopefully their minds are right and they can control themselves and not go any further. I suppose if it was going to cause an issue for them, then they would have to decide, maybe an alternative, maybe they could talk to the minister and they could reason together and see if it would make sense to do something different. In a case like that, typically it shouldn't be a problem for someone on Passover evening. But if it is a problem, then you have to admit it. You have to take the balanced, godly, right approach.

Also, food should be eaten in moderation. Gluttons are not going to inherit the Kingdom of God. So we have to be careful even the food that we eat, that we don't overdo it.

I remember watching a movie about Babe Ruth. I'm sure many of you saw the movie about Babe Ruth. There's been a number of movies about him. But I think in this particular movie, he ate like 50 hot dogs in one setting. He was known for his extremes. That's not balanced. I don't care who you are. 50 hot dogs is way too many. Also, he would get drunk a lot. He would go to excess. He even physically threatened his manager on a train once that I think held him over the edge. He was unbalanced. He was out of control at times. Moderation might be having one dessert instead of two or three. I guess you have to decide what moderation is in that regard. If it harms the temple of God's Holy Spirit, then you need to be careful. Eating too many sweets, especially if you're diabetic, can really affect your health. So you should be conscientious and diligent in that regard. So ask yourself, what is appropriate for me right now under the circumstances? What's really appropriate? What's right? What would be the right thing to do here?

It takes character to do the right thing, doesn't it? Sometimes we know what's right, but we don't have the character or we don't exercise the character to do it. We've all been there. I know I have. I've known better, but I did it anyway because I wanted to, and I didn't exercise self-control.

It's not a sin to eat whole wheat and honey. It's no sin to eat whole wheat and honey. It seems like the church, in one case, we went all whole wheat and honey, and everyone else was looked down upon if they did anything but that, and then now we've gone the other direction, where we're not as careful as we should be about healthy choices. So balance is realizing that in certain areas, personal choice must be respected. It should not be condemned. Unless there is conclusive evidence that the action violates a principle of God's law. So our diet, the music that we listen to, the cars that we decide to drive, many other personal choices, they're just that. They're personal choices. Some music may be clearly inappropriate because it espouses wrong principles. It espouses ungodly principles. It may use foul language. There's some music out there that's unbelievably foul. But some may prefer classical. Others may prefer country. Some light rock. As long as it's not offensive, as long as it wouldn't offend God, mainly is the thing that we need to consider the most, would it be offensive to God? Balance is watching TV also with godly sensitivity. Not everything on TV is fit to watch for a Christian. Balance is being selective. It's being circumspect. It's being discerning of what's right and what's wrong. Balance is turning away from that which is spiritually harmful to us personally. We should turn away if it's going to harm us personally.

If something affects you negatively in a spiritual way, then you should stay away from it. And you should be discerning. If it's going to affect you negatively, then don't go there. If it tends to weaken you spiritually, then stay away from it. There are some things that should always be avoided. Obviously, pornography is unhealthy. It should be avoided. It shouldn't go there. Or anything that might lead you toward that. You have to make good choices. Do the right thing. So avoid it at all costs, if at all possible. If it can't be completely avoided, then avoid it to the degree that it is possible. Again, make the right choices that will help you become more spiritually balanced. Concentrate on doing what's right and what's pleasing to God. Concentrate on overcoming, putting sin out of your life. Now, one example I might mention would be, for example, most of you work out in the world. I'm sure there are women that sometimes dress inappropriately. Well, you shouldn't stare. Try to avoid that type of eye contact. Job said he made a covenant with his eyes, that he would not look in such a way as a woman. So Christ said, if you look at a woman to lust for her, you've committed adultery with her. So these are real scriptures that mean something very powerful and valuable. And so that's what we need to do. We need to take them seriously. So be careful what you gaze upon. Women should also dress appropriately or moderately. Not in such a way as to attract a lustful glance. We should be careful how we dress. There's moderation. What's balanced? What's right? What's good? I'm not saying you have to have a burqa. That's not balance. But finding the godly balance is important. And that's a lifelong process, is trying to find the godly balance. So in this regard, let's go to 1 Timothy 2. And consider this verse. 1 Timothy 2, verses 8-10. 1 Timothy 2, verse 8. Paul writes, There's nothing wrong with that. In a proper way. Sometimes people get carried away. It's not really appropriate in a service like this. But I've done that at home. I've lifted up my hands to God and prayed to Him in this manner. He says, Not with braided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly clothing, but which is proper for women professing godliness with good works.

So, again, women should adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety, with moderation. What is balanced? What is right? What is good? What is pleasing to God? In Philippians 4, verse 5, it says here that our moderation should be known to all men. We should all learn to be moderate in the choices that we make. So, Philippians 4, verse 5. Verse 5, let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. The Greek word for gentleness is the word appropriate.

New King James says, gentleness, I believe. Let your gentleness be known. The Greek word is E-P-I-E-I-K-E-S, which means appropriate or seemingly suitable, equitable, and fair.

So, what is appropriate? What is moderate? God has always acted appropriately. He has always done the right thing. He has never sinned Christ through the money changers out of the temple. That was the appropriate thing to do under the circumstances at that particular time. That was the balanced or appropriate thing to do, to throw Him out of the temple, because He was making a point, citing an example, showing away. God cast Adam and Eve out of the garden. That was the appropriate thing to do. He sent a great flood to destroy mankind. Again, it was appropriate because every thought of their heart was evil continually. He saved Noah and his family as well, which was also appropriate. The prophet Samuel hacked Agag to pieces, because that's what God told him to do. And that was appropriate. That was the right thing to do. God told him to do it. God killed Uzzah. We heard about that in a sermonette, I think, last Sabbath. God killed Uzzah. Maybe it was a couple Sabbaths ago. I don't remember. Anyway, He also killed Ananias and Sapphira. Again, to show us that He certainly wants us to take His Word seriously. Christ let the woman taken in adultery go, though. Remember? He said, go and sin no more. He instructed her. So, whatever God does is appropriate under the circumstances. It's the right thing to do. It's the balanced approach. We can learn from that. Christ ate with publicans. He ate with tax collectors. He ate with sinners. He called the Pharisees hypocrites. Christ said, love your enemies. Christ laid down His life for mankind. God's wrath is going to be poured out on this earth in the future. We have frightening times ahead of us because of the day of the Lord and the wrath that will be cast down upon a sinning people.

But then, of course, Christ's Millennial Kingdom will be established. And the New Jerusalem will eventually come down from heaven. And God's Eternal Kingdom will be established. So, brethren, we should strive to live in godly moderation. We should learn the lessons that are in the Bible, study the Bible, that we might learn the lessons. So, again, the second point here was that we need to be moderate or temperate.

We need to be balanced in that way, doing all things in godly moderation, following the example that God has set for us. A third principle that we should consider in becoming spiritually balanced is that this means taking all aspects of a problem or opportunity into consideration before we make a decision. We should keep God's law faithfully, but also we should keep the welfare of other persons involved uppermost in mind. How we handle things is important. As we keep God's word faithfully, part of it is how we treat others as well, and the example that we set. So, balance is expecting your children to behave in the way that they've been taught, the way that you've taught them, out of the Scriptures. We should expect our children to behave that way, but balance is also realizing that they're not yet converted. And you, who are converted, you're not perfect, are you? You also fall short. So, we should realize that our children will sometimes fall short. They will disappoint us. So, let's be sure that we realize who we're dealing with. Again, they're not converted. They're children. They're learning. They're growing. We need to instruct them properly, but we also need to treat them in merciful ways, in godly ways, as God has shown us in His word.

We can't really expect them to live up to our converted standards completely, but we can teach them to do so, and we can expect them to do so. But then we can also discipline them so that they might learn to be more faithful and more obedient. Again, there's a godly balance in all of this that we all need to strive for. We shouldn't condone sin or disobedience, but we need to consider all the factors, and we should consider their attitude. Are they repentant? Are they sorry for what they've done? How can we best teach them? How can we help them learn to grow and overcome? So we must learn not to overreact when we discipline our children. We should not overreact, nor should we underreact. We should strive for a godly balance. We should be measured in our response. We should be careful how we respond. We should not do things in anger. We should be careful not to discipline in anger. We also need to always realize that there's a time when children become adults, and we as parents are not held as accountable for their actions or their decisions. We can just do our very best as parents to rear our children, to show them God's way, and then it's up to them to either discipline themselves and obey and follow God and Jesus Christ. So there is a biblical principle in Isaiah 28 that I believe applies here. It's one that most of us are pretty familiar with. Isaiah 28, verse 13, But the word of the Eternal, the Lord, was to them precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, hear a little, their little, that they might go and fall backward and be broken and snared and caught. So it's talking about a proper balance, taking everything into account here, precept upon precept, line upon line, hear a little, their a little. It's a biblical principle that we should study all of God's word and apply it all when we make our decisions. We need to look at the whole story before we draw conclusions. We shouldn't take the Scriptures out of their context, and we should apply them in a proper manner. So in life we need to be careful to get the facts first before deciding on a response or an action. You might have heard recently about the... there was a Pakistani fashion model, which doesn't seem... I didn't know that there were such things as fashion models in Pakistan, but there are. And one of them was recently strangled by her brother. She had like six brothers, and one of them strangled her to death because, I guess, she was posting selfies with a cleric. And I'm sure there were other reasons why her brother killed her. That is not balanced. That's not a godly approach. That's not what God would have us do. And yet people do this in the name of religion. They kill us thinking they're doing God a service. So everything has to be applied, and we have to look at all the Scriptures on a given topic. They think it's honorable to kill their sister because she disgraced them.

So the honorable thing is to kill her. There's a lot of warped thinking out there. We need to be more discerning. So again, the third principle is to take all the aspects of a problem or opportunity into consideration before we make a decision. Look at all the Scriptures on a given topic to make sure that we get a proper understanding. The number four, the last principle in regard to becoming more balanced spiritually, is being able to discern right from wrong without condemning or hindering a person's spiritual growth. Being balanced is being able to discern right from wrong without condemning or hindering a person's spiritual growth. Yes, we have to be discerning. We have to judge righteous judgment. We should also be respectful of one's sincerely held beliefs. If someone holds a belief in a sincere manner, then we should respect them for that. Whether it's observing going to church on Sunday faithfully, even though it's not the right thing to do, it's not appropriate. And yet, if it's done sincerely, then we should treat that with some respect, because the people are deceived and they don't realize, they don't understand. So how we treat them is extremely important. How we interact with our neighbors, who don't have the same beliefs we have. We should always treat them with respect and realize that if God hadn't opened our minds and our hearts, we would be doing things differently as well. That's Godly balance.

Let's go to Matthew 7, verse 7. Matthew 7, verse 7. Ask, and it will be given to you. Seek, you will find, knock, and it will be opened unto you.

Now, let's read a little bit further. For everyone who asks receives, he who seeks finds, to him who knocks, it will be opened.

For what man is there among you, who if a son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Actually, I wanted to read the first part of that. Let's start with verse 1. Judge not or condemn not, it says, that you be not condemned. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged, and with the measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.

Why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but you do not consider the plank that's in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, let me remove the speck from your eye? And look, a plank is in your own eye. Hypocrite, first remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye. So it's okay to help someone with a speck, as long as you get the plank out of your own eye first.

Do not give what is holy to the dogs, nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces. So again, condemn not that you be not condemned, judge righteous judgment. Remember that you will be forgiven in the same manner that you forgive others. These are all godly principles that always need to be taken into account. That's what godly balance is. Now, different people will draw different conclusions in regard to various issues in life. We all know that. We've witnessed that many times ourselves. Some people will believe that some things are appropriate, for example, on the Sabbath. They will do certain things. They will allow themselves certain liberties, you might say, believing that it's right and good and appropriate and godly. While others may draw the line in a different place, they may have a different opinion on certain things. So everyone should look at all the Scriptures and prayerfully consider their understanding on a given topic. We should all do our part. Some areas are not so clearly defined in the Bible. And so that allows for people to come up with different interpretations, different understandings. We should respect one another's decisions in those areas and realize that whatever is not of faith is sin. If they are convinced and convicted in a certain way, then that's what they need to do.

Because they should not go against their conscience. They shouldn't go against their faith and what they believe to be right. If one goes against his conscience, in other words, if one believes a certain action to be sinful, he should not compromise and do it, no matter who else is. So we have to stand up, we have to be counted, we have to yield to our inner conscience, what we're feeling, what we believe. So we're going to draw lines in different places sometimes. Another person may believe the same action. It's not a sinful thing. Someone may believe it is, someone may believe it isn't. And they can do that in good conscience. It's not bothering them conscience-wise. They're okay. They've prayed about it, they've thought about it, they've analyzed it, they've looked at it. And for them, it's appropriate as they understand the Scriptures. Now, obviously, some things are black and white. You know, they're very cut and dried, you might say. They're absolutes. But there are other areas that God has written the Bible or had the Bible inspired in such a way that it isn't always so clear in some areas. Perhaps that's where God wants to see if we truly love one another and if we truly respect each other. Or if we have a condemning spirit about ourselves. So God tests us in a number of ways.

God is the ultimate judge, right? We stand and fall before God Himself, not before each other. God is our judge. So we have to do what we believe we need to do in regard to God our Father and to Jesus Christ. Putting them first in our lives, seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.

God is the ultimate judge. He knows our heart as well. He knows your heart. He knows my heart. He's the ultimate judge. We answer to Him in these areas. We don't answer to one another. So we should respect one another's decisions and thereby we can live in peace. That doesn't mean the topic can't be discussed with one another so that we can have a better understanding and maybe come to even different conclusions, perhaps. Where a person is coming, it's good to know why a person makes a certain decision. Why do they do that? You know, it's fine to talk about those things. And we should be able to do that in a godly manner, in a peaceable way. We don't have to be threatened by that. We can talk about these things and that way we can all have a better understanding of what God would truly have us do. By sharing and by respecting one another and discussing such issues in a calm and loving manner. Now, sometimes that's not easy to do because we get defensive and we're not in control, we're not being balanced in that way. So we need to back off. If we can't discuss something in a calm and godly way, then it'd be better not to discuss it at all until we're able to do that. So more understanding can be achieved by both parties if we truly respect each other and we're yielded to God and His Spirit. Let's go to James chapter 3, a final verse. James chapter 3. James chapter 3 verse 17 and 18. James 3 verse 17. But the wisdom that is from above, from God Himself, is first pure, then it's peaceable, it's gentle. We're talking about wisdom that comes from God. It is first pure, it's peaceable, it's gentle, it's willing to yield. It is full of mercy and full of good fruits, the fruit of God's Holy Spirit. It is without partiality and it is without hypocrisy. That's what we need to strive for, the wisdom that comes from above. Then we can become truly balanced in a godly way, in a godly manner. Verse 18. Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. So we should all strive to make peace with one another. We need to really be careful how we treat one another. Really be careful how we treat one another. We're to love our brother. We're to love everyone. For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son. That's the kind of love that we should strive to have. That is a very respectful love. God is no respecter of persons because He respects everyone.

That doesn't mean He condones their evil actions, because He doesn't and neither should we. But He does love everyone. We need to learn to love each other more than we do. That's how we're to be known as Christ's disciples. The love that we have for each other. How we treat one another. How we interact. Really striving to have a godly balance. Bringing every thought into captivity, under the obedience of our Savior Jesus Christ. Putting on the mind of Jesus Christ. Learning to love our enemies. Learning to lay our lives down, even for our enemies.

It's not an easy thing to do. But that's our calling, isn't it? That is your calling. It's my calling. It's something that we need to continue to move toward. Striving to become more and more like God. So, in summary, four principles we talked about. Being spiritually balanced means to be righteous.

It means to be righteous. It means to live by every word of God. Secondly, being spiritually balanced means doing all things in godly moderation. Number three, being spiritually balanced means taking all aspects of a problem or opportunity into consideration before we make a decision. And number four, being spiritually balanced is being able to discern right from wrong without condemning or hindering a person's spiritual growth. And I'm talking about people who aren't in the church. People who may be, again, very sincere about their beliefs. It is being respectful of one's sincerely held beliefs, whether they're in the church or not in the church. It's being respectful of their sincerely held beliefs. So, brethren, let's look to wisdom from above. That's what we need. We need the wisdom that comes from above. So, don't be an ultra right-winger or an ultra left-winger. Don't be a liberal. Don't be a conservative. But be balanced and be a moderate from a biblical perspective.

Be balanced. Learn to rightly divide the word of truth and learn to live by every word of God.