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presented by Lauren Stibgen
The seasons are changing again, and it is hard to believe that kids have returned to school. I have seen so many social media posts about preparing kids for school from elementary to college. Moms lamenting about lists, waking their kids up on a schedule, and trying to balance this with work and other commitments. Trying to get into a new season of balance.
The reality is our lives are full of these changes no matter the season and no matter the reason. When it comes to seeking balance in work and life, part of our problem is separating the two things to begin with. The fact is all of life is some type of work, whether we are on the job receiving a paycheck, at home with family, or even volunteering.
Change and disruption happen by the moment in our lives. Change can be good and change can be difficult. Change can be expected and unexpected. Sometimes we make choices to change and sometimes we don’t.
I think this is why the Bible refers to life as a sojourn, a temporary stay or visit in a place that is not our permanent home. The turmoil this life causes is well characterized in 1 Peter 2:11, Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul (ESV).
Repeatedly, the Word reminds us this world is not our home. Ephesians 2:19 states, So then you are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God (RSV). We are fellow citizens and saints as members of God’s household. But what does this look like, and how can we use this citizenship and membership to bring our lives into a better balance today?
First, let’s consider what brings us out of balance with this citizenship we have as believers. What did Paul mean in 1 Peter 2 when he mentions the passions of the flesh waging war against us?
These passions of the flesh can show up in any of our work, at home or on the job, and we need to be aware of how these things are creating the lack of balance we perceive. I would sum up these passions of the flesh with one short word—sin. God’s Word has many verses that summarize these sins both in the Old and New Testaments, but the verses in Galatians 5:19-21 specifically mention the flesh.
The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
All this wages war on our citizenship and is often a root cause for feelings of imbalance in our life whether we are in control or not. There are words from this list that are very present today. I want you to ask:
- What rivalries am I a part of? At work, in my family, or in my community?
- Where am I causing dissent or division? Am I causing strife at work?
- Am I jealous of someone or what they have?
- Am I striving for significance in my life?
- Have I been angry in the last week to the point of yelling?
- What am I thinking about so much that it has become an idol to me?
Again, you may not be the cause of some of these things that wage war on your flesh. For example, maybe someone has caused division at work, and you are an unfortunate recipient of the backlash. Perhaps you have some rivalry in your family that you are not choosing but someone else is. Maybe someone is jealous of your achievements and is acting out because of this.
You see, this is why chasing balance here in this world can never happen, but we can shift our focus on our citizenship and as fellow members of the household of God. This shift can help us feel more in balance when the world seems to work wildly against us—you know, the part about waging war. While the word war seems dramatic, I want you to remember that even Jesus told us that in the world we will have tribulation. (John 16:33)
I love the other side of the promise Jesus has in John 16:33. He promises that in him we will have peace because he has overcome the world! He tells us to rejoice and be glad because our reward is great in heaven. (Matthew 5:12)
Nehemiah 8:10 tells us to not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is our strength! Psalm 16:11 states that God makes known to us the path of life and that in him is the fullness of joy!
Jesus is peace. We can have joy in the presence of the Lord, and with him is the fullness of joy! Personally, when I am worn out from all that life is handing me, I tell my husband or close friends, “I just want peace.” It feels like a beautiful stillness and a place where all the things in this world cannot reach me. It is full of light and joy! The truth is I already have these things because I believe in Jesus Christ and through him, I have a home in heaven with God the Father. This good feeling of joy that is my strength needs my focus and attention. That’s why we are commanded repeatedly in Scripture to rejoice in the Lord! (Philippians 3:1 and 4:4, Psalm 118:24).
When I really want this peace and joy, I start by acknowledging where it comes from because I cannot produce it on my own. True joy is found in the filling of the Holy Spirit. In fact, joy is a fruit of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22-23. So, to find Jesus and experience his peace, hope, joy, and the rest of the Spirit’s fruit, I need to be giving the blessed Trinity my time.
When was the last time you took 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 to heart?
Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
A verse from Philippians 1:12 has been rolling over in my mind for a few months now. Paul writes, Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. It really got me to think about my circumstances; both the highs and the lows, the good and the bad. God uses all of this to advance the gospel, but do I allow this?
It is easy to rejoice when things are easy—when we celebrate, receive a promotion or a raise at work, or welcome a new child into our family. But what about a posture of rejoicing even when we are experiencing the opposite?
In James 1:2-3 we are told to Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. This is echoed in Romans 5:2-5:
…through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
Can I take this posture of rejoicing in my suffering, knowing these times will produce endurance, that endurance will produce character, and this character will produce hope?
Like many of you, I work in a high-pressure job. The demands change and, with many personalities, priorities shift. The team can feel the demands of the moment. There are more times than I can count in the last few years when I have heard, “You always stay so hopeful” or, “I don’t know how you work through all of this”.
Now, this does not mean I am not real about the trials I face, but what I have found is some of the suffering has produced an endurance that has truly changed my character. I am able to stay consistent, hopeful, and caring for my colleagues. Seeing people how God would see them.
My favorite conversations are the unexpected ones. During a difficult moment one day, I chose to walk away for a few minutes. I needed a refocus on my mindset and take some space to tell the Lord how I needed him to help me with my words and patience. Honestly, I was frustrated and on the verge of tears. After a few minutes, a colleague followed and asked how I deal with things. My reply was that honestly without my faith in God, I truly wouldn’t be able to some days. What followed was a beautiful conversation about faith and Jesus that was so unexpected, but I can truly say that what has happened to me has served to advance the gospel.
In this moment, I was not rejoicing, but I was thinking about my flesh—more specifically, how I didn’t want my flesh to create a situation of “waging war” through hasty words. And I chose to seek the Lord in prayer. What followed was joy.
Keeping any balance in life as a follower of Jesus Christ is dependent on how focused you are on remembering that your time here on earth is a sojourn. You are on a journey, and you really don’t know how long this journey will last. Think about your heavenly home as a member of God’s family.
Your ability to find this joy, peace, and hope starts with your practice of abiding. How are you staying firm and steadfast in your relationship with Jesus? Is Jesus the center of your life or just someone you think about on a Sunday during church?
As you evaluate all the aspects of your life, where does Jesus fit into your job, your relationships, your health and wellness, your goals? Do you have a lens of biblical wisdom on all these matters, or does the Word of God sit on a shelf in your house? Do you own a Bible?
How often are you reading God’s Word or deeply meditating on it? After all:
For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope (Romans 15:4).
Are you in a Bible study or small group? Do you have faith-filled friends who love Jesus like you do?
What about prayer? How much are you talking to God? Do you have other people praying for you on a regular basis?
Abiding. Jesus asks us to abide in him, and he will abide in us. He tells us he is the vine, and we are the branches. In this abiding, we will bear much fruit. (John 5:4-5) Jesus also tells us that apart from him we can do nothing.
If in abiding we can bear much fruit, this means we can bear true joy! Remember, joy is one of the fruits of the Spirit.
How have you assessed your abiding? Be encouraged! If you are reading this message, this means you long for Christian encouragement. While this is not a substitute for any of the other forms of abiding, may it be a reminder to pick up your Bible, find community, and pray!
It is in this place that you learn about your true identity and citizenship. As we all sojourn here, may we encourage one another as we look toward what our hope is ultimately in—the eternal life which God has promised before the beginning of time (Titus 1:2) and the return of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
I pray today you are filled with a peace that surpasses all understanding, joy that fills you from head to toe, and a hope for things to come! May you be able to say, “What has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel!”
