REMEMBER TO KEEP YOUR FAITH BALANCED – Ephesians 6:23-24
Ephesians 6:23-24 Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen.
Paul salutation to the church of Ephesus reminds us of what is important in the church today. Paul started out by giving them a simple blessing of peace. Paul knew that even though things could be in turmoil, God’s peace could still exist even in the midst of the storm. It is critical that the brethren remember the peace of God in their life and that they do not become distracted by all the storms that surround them.
Paul may have been in prison, but he understood that he was where the Lord wanted him to be. As such, he was able to maintain a peace that probably confounded the Romans. Paul was able to give this blessing to the church of Ephesus because he knew it was possible to dwell in the peace of God regardless of the circumstances.
Paul then blessed the church by asking God to show the church HIS love while increasing their faith. Paul did not desire that they have just faith or just love, but he desired that God bless them both love and an increase of faith. Paul understood the misuse of faith if the church did not have agape love one for another to accompany their faith. However, at the same time, if all the church had was love with no faith there would be very little fruit that the church would produce.
Paul knew that love was important especially since Jesus said that the most important commandment is to love God with all your heart and the second most important commandment is to love your neighbor as yourself. However, in order to truly demonstrate agape love to God, one must first make a commitment of faith since you are saved by faith.
It is important to understand God’s balance for life. God does not desire that we focus too much on any one thing but instead learn to focus on the qualities that HE desires for us. Imagine a house where the mother only required that the living room be cleaned. Everyone could walk into the living room and see it immaculately kept. They could shower all sorts of praise on the family for keeping the house so clean. However, if they were to step into the kitchen and see pots and pans stacked to the ceiling all dirty and walk into the bathroom and smell the stench as a result of lack of attention, all the praise rendered for the clean living room would be quickly retracted.
So too in your spiritual life must you learn to demonstrate both love and faith. Concentrating on one despite the other will result in a spectacle that will not cause unbelievers to be drawn to the truth. Your life is to be a light that draws the world to God. However, when you spend all your time on one element, you will lose sight of all the other things God desires for you to do and your light will dim.
Faith is an important element of your daily life. Nonetheless, while you are learning the faith that God has for you, remember to not forsake the other principles God has for you to learn. Ensure that you are well balanced so that the world is not at first amazed at your faith and then becomes discouraged because they see your shortcomings in other areas.