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The Balancing Act
Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, p.141
- What is the surrender of self to the will of God and the yielding of the heart to the sovereignty of love?
- Can we take our sinful will and the “old nature” into heaven? (Paragraph 2, beginning “The old nature, born of the blood and the will of the flesh. . . .”)
“Although Ellen White used the word ‘intemperance’ in some of her writings, in today's language a preferable word might be ‘imbalance’ or’lack of balance’ in the life. The principles found in the following general counsel can be applied to any aspect of our lives, from recognizing our limitations in accepting extra responsibilities, to living a simpler lifestyle in order to ease the stress and strain of modern living, and finding time for the things that matter most. Again, most of this was written to women, but the principles apply equally. . .
“Intemperance in eating and drinking, intemperance in labor, intemperance in almost everything, exists on every hand. Those who make great exertions to accomplish just so much work in a given time, and continue to labor when their judgment tells them they should rest, are never gainers. They are living on borrowed capital. They are expending the vital force which they will need at a future time. And when the energy they have so recklessly used is demanded, they fail for want of it. The physical strength is gone, the mental powers fail. They realize that they have met with a loss, but do not know what it is. Their time of need has come, but their physical resources are exhausted. Everyone who violates the laws of health must sometime be a sufferer to a greater or lesser degree. God has provided us with constitutional force, which will be needed at different periods of our life. If we recklessly exhaust this force by continual overtaxation, we shall sometime be losers. Our usefulness will be lessened, if not our life itself destroyed” (Daughters of God, p. 161).
- What makes balance so important to us?
- Why should young people be concerned about balance?
THE BALANCING ACT
Imagine a girl on a balance beam. The balance beam is straight and narrow and placed several feet off the ground. Her goal is to maintain her balance while moving back and forth across the beam doing handstands, cartwheels, backflips, etc. She has to use every part of her body, often leaning a little to the left or a little to the right to keep perfect balance. She has to maintain her center of gravity at all times by focusing on the narrow beam.
Matthew 7:14 says, “‘But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it’” (NIV). Staying on God’s balance beam requires keeping Jesus as our center of gravity, or we cannot stay balanced on that small, narrow road. Proverbs 3:6 also reminds us to “in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight” (NIV). Once again, in order to stay on the straight beam, or path, we must keep the center of our focus always on Him.
Do you think this anonymous poem sums it up?
Tightrope
Without You, I walk a tightrope,
I extend my hands for balance, staring at my feet.
My body trembles with uncertainty
Of what’s to come;
My knees feel weak. Will my steps be sure?
My nerves unstable, feelings insecure,
My body trembles at the prospect of a fall.
All the focus on me, my hands, my feet, my knees
All the focus on me, my fear.
You, You have set my feet on a firm place,
And I will not fear, I will trust.
I have no cause for worry, no,
I have no need to look down at my feet
when I can focus on the one who made me,
Healed my soul and gave me everlasting peace.
With my eyes fixed on You,
Secure, assured and free.
My hope is in You. There is harmony
Perfect rhythm in my soul today.
Sunday | Today’s Reading
Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, pp. 141, 142
- What or who works through the powers given to man?
- What is required to co-operate with God?
- What would forcing upon us 100 times more the influence of the Spirit of God do for us?
- If you are willing to be made willing, what can God do for you?
“Our time belongs to God. Every moment is His, and we are under the most solemn obligation to improve it to His glory. Of no talent He has given will He require a more strict account than of our time. . . .
“If the worker has consecrated himself fully to God and is diligent in prayer for strength and heavenly wisdom, the grace of Christ will be his teacher, and he will overcome his defects and become more and more intelligent in the things of God. But let none take license from this to be indolent, to squander time and opportunities, and neglect the training that is essential in order to become efficient. The Lord is not pleased with those who, having had opportunities to obtain knowledge, neglect to improve the privileges placed within their reach” (Daughters of God, pp. 163, 164).
How does managing your time relate to being balanced?
What does our will have to do with time management?
HERE’S WHAT I THINK
“God has given me this day to do as I will. I can waste it, or use it for good, but what I do today is important because I am exchanging a day of my life for it. When tomorrow comes this day will be gone forever, leaving behind in its place something that I have traded for it. I want it to be a net gain and not loss, good and not evil, success and not failure, in order that I shall not regret the price that I have paid for it” (Samuel F. Pugh).
How seriously do you take each day, each choice? How will those little choices of balance affect who you are, who you become?
Log onto http://guidemagazine.org/rtf to log your answer. You may also write your answers below in order to share your feelings with your class later.
Today we are studying about two men. Both had men had balance. Was balance important for them? Please read the lesson today and answer the questions. You can finish this lesson on Friday.
Daniel 1:6-21 (The Message)
“Four young men from Judah—Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah—were among those selected. The head of the palace staff gave them Babylonian names: Daniel was named Belteshazzar, Hananiah was named Shadrach, Mishael was named Meshach, Azariah was named Abednego.
“But Daniel determined that he would not defile himself by eating the king's food or drinking his wine, so he asked the head of the palace staff to exempt him from the royal diet. The head of the palace staff, by God's grace, liked Daniel, but he warned him, ‘I'm afraid of what my master the king will do. He is the one who assigned this diet and if he sees that you are not as healthy as the rest, he'll have my head!’
“But Daniel appealed to a steward who had been assigned by the head of the palace staff to be in charge of Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: ‘Try us out for ten days on a simple diet of vegetables and water. Then compare us with the young men who eat from the royal menu. Make your decision on the basis of what you see.’
“The steward agreed to do it and fed them vegetables and water for ten days. At the end of the ten days they looked better and more robust than all the others who had been eating from the royal menu. So the steward continued to exempt them from the royal menu of food and drink and served them only vegetables.
“God gave these four young men knowledge and skill in both books and life. In addition, Daniel was gifted in understanding all sorts of visions and dreams. At the end of the time set by the king for their training, the head of the royal staff brought them in to Nebuchadnezzar. When the king interviewed them, he found them far superior to all the other young men. None were a match for Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.
“And so they took their place in the king's service. Whenever the king consulted them on anything, on books or on life, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his kingdom put together.
“Daniel continued in the king's service until the first year in the reign of King Cyrus.”
“Daniel and his companions in Babylon were, in their youth, apparently more favored of fortune than was Joseph in the earlier years of his life in Egypt; yet they were subjected to tests of character scarcely less severe. From the comparative simplicity of their Judean home these youth of royal line were transported to the most magnificent of cities, to the court of its greatest monarch, and were singled out to be trained for the king's special service. Strong were the temptations surrounding them in that corrupt and luxurious court. . . . The direction that their food should be supplied from the royal table was an expression both of the king's favor and of his solicitude for their welfare. But a portion having been offered to idols, the food from the king's table was consecrated to idolatry; and in partaking of the king's bounty these youth would be regarded as uniting in his homage to false gods.
“The history of Daniel and his youthful companions has been recorded on the pages of the inspired word for the benefit of the youth of all succeeding ages. Through the record of their fidelity to the principles of temperance, God is speaking today to young men and young women, bidding them gather up the precious rays of light He has given on the subject of Christian temperance, and place themselves in right relation to the laws of health” (Conflict and Courage, p. 246).
How did insisting on balance in their lives affect Daniel and his three friends?
Did balance in Daniel’s life stop with what he ate and drank? Explain.
What makes balance so important for you?
Luke 1:11-15 (The Message)
“It so happened that as Zachariah was carrying out his priestly duties before God, working the shift assigned to his regiment, it came his one turn in life to enter the sanctuary of God and burn incense. The congregation was gathered and praying outside the Temple at the hour of the incense offering. Unannounced, an angel of God appeared just to the right of the altar of incense. Zachariah was paralyzed in fear.
“But the angel reassured him, ‘Don't fear, Zachariah. Your prayer has been heard. Elizabeth, your wife, will bear a son by you. You are to name him John. You're going to leap like a gazelle for joy, and not only you—many will delight in his birth. He'll achieve great stature with God.
“‘He'll drink neither wine nor beer. He'll be filled with the Holy Spirit from the moment he leaves his mother's womb. He will turn many sons and daughters of Israel back to their God. He will herald God's arrival in the style and strength of Elijah, soften the hearts of parents to children, and kindle devout understanding among hardened skeptics—he'll get the people ready for God.’”
“In the time of John the Baptist, greed for riches, and the love of luxury and display had become widespread. Sensuous pleasures, feasting and drinking, were causing physical disease and degeneracy, benumbing the spiritual perceptions, and lessening the sensibility to sin. John was to stand as a reformer. By his abstemious life and plain dress he was to rebuke the excesses of his time. Hence the directions given to the parents of John,--a lesson of temperance by an angel from the throne of heaven” (The Desire of Ages, pp. 100, 101.).
“On heaven's record of noble men the Saviour declared that there stood not one greater than John the Baptist. The work committed to him was one demanding not only physical energy and endurance, but the highest qualities of mind and soul. So important was right physical training as a preparation for this work that the highest angel in heaven was sent with a message of instruction to the parents of the child” (The Ministry of Healing, p. 379).
“In childhood and youth the character is most impressible. The power of self-control should then be acquired. By the fireside and at the family board influences are exerted whose results are as enduring as eternity. More than any natural endowment, the habits established in early years decide whether a man will be victorious or vanquished in the battle of life. Youth is the sowing time. It determines the character of the harvest, for this life and for the life to come” (The Desire of Ages, p. 101).
- Why was it important for John the Baptist to have balance in his life? (Refer to The Ministry of Healing, page 379.)
- When is the sowing time? (Refer to The Desire of Ages, page 101.)
- When is the character most impressionable?
- Even though you are young, how is balance important for you?
Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, p.143
- Luke 13:24 (NKJV) says many “‘will seek to enter, and will not be able.’” What about looking at the narrow way and the straight gate is so hard to imagine for these people?
- What will keep the grace of God from being given to us?
- What do you think our will has to do with balance?
“All the powers of the mind should be called into use and developed, in order for men and women to have well-balanced minds. The world is full of one-sided men and women, who have become such because one set of their faculties was cultivated, while others were dwarfed from inaction. The education of most youth is a failure. They overstudy, while they neglect that which pertains to practical business life. Men and women become parents without considering their responsibilities, and their offspring sink lower in the scale of human deficiency than they themselves. Thus the race is fast degenerating” (Daughters of God, p. 163).
Thought Question: Is there anything in the lesson so far this week that might help with your choices?
SO WHAT?
So, you’re young. It’s not really all that important to worry about how balanced your life is right now, is it? Isn’t there enough time later to worry about what you eat, drink, how much you sleep, how positive your attitude is, and all that stuff? Isn’t that for old people who just want to live a little bit longer?
Well, the God who made you knows best how to help you maintain a healthful balance—in other words, an abundant life—at any age, He has the guidelines for a life you can celebrate and not regret. He offers guidance and power to help you make wise and balanced choices in every area of your lives.
In fact, think of CELEBRATIONS when you think of the abundant, balanced life God wants for you, C—Choices, E—Exercise, Liquids, E—Environment, B—Belief, R—Rest, A—Attitude, T—Temperance, I—Integrity, O—Optimism, N—Nutrition, S—Social Support.
Life and all its abundance and excess make it really difficult for us to keep our balance in these areas. And that is why we all need help. Jesus promises to give us His wisdom, courage, and strength to ensure that we are always able to strike a balance.
Match the verse with the text. All verses are taken from the New International Version.
- Proverbs 15:13 ___________
- Matthew 11:28 ___________
- Ecclesiastes 4:9 __________
- Colossians 3:9,10 _________
- 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 ____
- Luke 12:22 _______________
- Colossians 3:23 ___________
- 1 Timothy 4:8 _____________
- Romans 8:6 ______________
- Colossians 1:10 ___________
- Proverbs 23: 20, 21 ________
- “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened. . . .”
- “A happy heart makes the face cheerful. . . .”
- “Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self. . . .”
- “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work.”
- “The mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace. . . .”
- “Do not worry about your life. . . .”
- “Be joyful always; pray continually. . . .”
- “For physical training is of some value. . . .”
- “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart. . . .”
- “And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord. . . .”
Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing,p.144
- When Jacob was having a crisis, what did he stop to do?
- What or who caused Jacob to remain persistent when asking God to change his life?
- How did Jacob win the victory? How can god do that in your life?
“It is conscientious attention to what the world terms ‘little things’ that makes life a success. Little deeds of charity, little acts of self-denial, speaking simple words of helpfulness, watching against little sins—this is Christianity. A grateful acknowledgment of daily blessings, a wise improvement of daily opportunities, a diligent cultivation of entrusted talents—this is what the Master calls for” (Daughters of God, p. 164).
“Every day men in positions of trust have decisions to make upon which depend results of great importance. Often they have to think rapidly, and this can be done successfully by those only who practice strict temperance. The mind strengthens under the correct treatment of the physical and mental powers. If the strain is not too great, new vigor comes with every taxation” (Child Guidance, p. 395).
WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH ME?
In his book Life Strategies, Dr. Phil encourages us to think of ourselves as our own “Life Managers.” Your objective is to manage your life in a way that generates high-quality results, or in other words, keeps you in the most balanced position possible. God created you, but He has left the daily management choices up to you to be made through the guidance and power of His Holy Spirit.
In order to be really effective at balancing your life, you must identify who you want your center of focus to be. And then ask for God’s wisdom to make each of your choices in balance.
The life you are managing is one that God has redeemed and given back to you to manage. The emotional life, the social life, the spiritual life, the physical life—all are entrusted to you. And you have the choice to seek balance or experience the consequences of a life out of balance. Jesus says in John 10:10 that He came to this earth so that we might have a more abundant life. That is an awesome gift! All you have to do is keep your focus on Him and move forward one step at a time on the balance beam.
“True temperance teaches us to dispense entirely with everything hurtful and to use judiciously that which is healthful” (Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 562).
HOW DOES IT WORK?
When our imagined gymnast is learning to balance, the first thing she has to do is to climb up on the skinny little beam and keep her eye on it as she practices walking back and forth. Each time she falls off, her coach encourages her to immediately get back up and try again. The more she practices, the better her balance becomes, and she gets to the place where she doesn’t even have to watch each step (each little choice), but can keep her primary focus on her center of gravity (Jesus).
Just how balanced are you? One step toward finding balance in life is to take a look at what might be out of balance. Decide where you are between the two statements in each set below. The top statement in each pair is 1 on a scale of one to 10. On the bottom statement, write the number between those two numbers that best describes you. When you are finished, you can find out your overall balance by adding all your numbers together and dividing by 12. How close are you to 5? Choose one area and get started “practicing” balance. Don’t forget the first and most important step. Ask Jesus to become your center of gravity (your focus) and help you find more and more balance every day.
C—Choices
I don’t even think before making choices.
I worry about the choices I am making all the time.
E—Exercise
I don’t get any exercise.
I exercise 20 hours a week.
L—Liquids
I don’t drink any water.
I drink 100 glasses of water a week.
E—Environment
Littering is practically my hobby.
I can’t sleep for worrying whether I recycled enough.
B—Belief in God
I don’t spend any time with God.
I read my Bible 20 hours a week.
R—Rest
I never sleep more than four hours a night.
I sleep 20 hours a day.
A—Air
I never breathe fresh air.
I never come inside
T—Temperance
I don’t have any control over myself.
I don’t do anything for fear I will do something wrong.
I—Integrity
I never keep a promise if it is inconvenient.
I do everything everyone expects even if it’s unhealthful for them or me.
O—Optimism
I am depressed about everything.
Everything is a joke.
N—Nutrition
I eat anything I please, anytime.
I eat only broccoli and soybeans.
S—Social Support
I spend all my time taking care of others.
I don’t need or help anyone.