A Just Weight

This week has been weird.  I don't know how to explain it, it just has been.  And not in a definitively good or bad way...just weird.  And by this week, I mean this week in my brain.  It feels like my mind just will not slow down.  I have so many things I'm thinking about...constantly thinking about.  But it's not just the typical list of things I need to get done, or things I start to stress over and then have to remind myself to have faith about.  It's deep stuff.  And again, not "deep" as in, "Oh, look how profound I am.", deep as in the deep things in me.  The heart things.  The stuff you might ponder between yourself and God, but never really discuss with other people, but not for any particular reason.  I am probably making no sense right now, but there it is.

The main theme of everything in my brain lately has been balance.  I use this word a lot, but that's only because I struggle with it in my own thoughts so much.  My natural, flesh reaction to most things is an extreme.  I lived in these extremes for a long time, so long that now I crave the peace and stability you find from being equally weighted on all sides.  Personally, one of my biggest wars for balance is in my own perceptions of parenthood. This morning I was reminded of the balance between being grateful for God's blessings and allowing yourself to admit that everything about being a parent isn't traipsing through a field of daisies, and then also the balance between being a good housekeeper and remembering that quality time with your kids is just as important to fulfilling your role as "homemaker".  It's the difference in juggling a bunch of balls in the air as opposed to carrying them around in a basket.  That's a pretty big difference if you ask me.

It made me wonder why we are so inclined to look at things from one angle.  And it got me thinking, REALLY thinking about how much we lack balance in the church (and obviously the world) because it is so easy to fall into a mindset that is locked into one facet of God.  And it's so easy because the only way not to is with the Holy Spirit.

Let me explain.

I believe (despite what many would say) that it is possible to have scripturally-based beliefs, to speak truth, and to not water down these convictions and still walk in love and compassion and mercy toward other people, even the ones who don't agree with you (after all, Jesus did it).  But to do this, you have to have the balance of the Holy Spirit in your life.

Let me back up.

I think the issue the church (and non-believers) have that causes extremism (the bad kind) is not really knowing who God is and understanding His WHOLE person.  Most of the time this happens because the Holy Spirit gets pushed to the side, and left out of the trinity all together.  People don't feel like they understand Him, so they ignore Him and stick with the ideas of God that they are comfortable with.  This is how I see it.  Either people (remember this is including the church) see God as the Father, who they equate with the Almighty, the Judge, the One who rebukes, and disciplines, and smites.  Or they see God as Jesus, the One who loves unconditionally, so I'm alright and you're alright.  Neither of these views are accurate mind you, but it's the overwhelming opinions you would receive.  The problem with these views is that the trinity doesn't mean we have three gods, it means we have One God, who reveals Himself in three forms, but has always been wholly God in all three.  Before the beginning, God was always, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.  Likewise, people get confused about Jesus because they base their beliefs on Him either being only all man (so He was just a man), or only all God (so that's why He could do all those things), or half of each.  The truth is that he was all man AND all God.  It's the basis of His mystery.  We call Him God's Son, but we forget that He was also God with us, God in a man's body.


2 Cor 5:19
19 It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself...
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I personally think this verse repudiates a couple of doctrines but that's another blog for another time.

Stay with me, I have a point.

What I'm getting at is that Holy Spirit is the Great Equalizer of God.  He's not only God on the throne, and God with us on earth, He's God IN us.  The Holy Spirit is the only reason anyone ever comes to receive salvation, because without Him we don't have the revelation that we need a Savior.  Despite this, we somehow think we can attempt to know God without Him.  We become either hateful and judgmental or we become people who have a misconstrued idea of what God's love is.  The fact is the Father is also the Son and Spirit.  Jesus is also the Father and Spirit.  Holy Spirit is also the Father and Son.  You can't pick and choose, because He is all of those people.  If you take away one aspect, you become off balance.  Not only in beliefs, but in life.  How you treat people.  How you talk.  How you view the things going on around you.  If you only know the Old testament God, then you won't understand the necessary mercy and grace of Jesus, so you won't extend it to others.  You will live and die and be judged by the law that the Bible says wasn't fulfilled until Jesus came.  If you only know Jesus, then you won't have a full understanding of why He came in the first place, and everything that He accomplished with His sacrifice.  If you know both, but not the Holy Spirit inside you, then there is no power to access what the new covenant brought with it.  And that leads me to ask, if we aren't accessing the power we were given, then just what in the heck are we doing anyway?  (By the way, I'm not suggesting you can be saved and not have the Holy Spirit inside you, just that people don't always recognize Him.)

I know this may seem like pretty elementary stuff to a lot of you, I just thought I would put it out there.  We need balance so desperately in the church today, because I believe that a church who knows God more deeply and intimately is a church that is more effective in bringing Heaven to earth.  A church that is more in unity with each other and therefore better equipped to go out and be the "body".  Presenting a gospel that is not fragmented, but whole...truthful but loving.


Prov 11:1
1 A FALSE balance and unrighteous dealings are extremely offensive and shamefully sinful to the Lord, but a just weight is His delight.
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