Mar 23 - DAY 39 - Balancing Your Life

Day 39

Balancing Your Life

Jesus answered,

"You shall love the Lord your God

with all your heart, and with all your soul,

and with all your strength,

and with all your mind;

and your neighbor as yourself."

Luke 10:27

Today, Rick Warren starts with an interesting phrase: “Blessed are the balance; they shall outlast everyone.”

His reasoning? Like a pentathlete, we need to succeed in all five events – all five purposes – if we’re going to win the prize.

Greatness is not about winning and earthly prize. (In fact, in yesterday’s devotion, I wrote briefly about a disgraced Olympian.) Greatness comes from doing the most important things greatly.

And what’s most important? Two things that Christian tradition calls “great”: The Great Commandment and the Great Commission.

•      The Great Commandment says 1) Love God (heart, soul, strength, and mind) and 2) Love Your Neighbor as Yourself.
•      The Great Commission adds two more purposes: 3) Go and Make Disciples, 4) Baptizing them, and 5) Teaching them.

Rick Warren tells us that in these two simple statements is a summary of how to accomplish all five of life’s purposes. 1) In loving God, we worship. 2) In loving neighbor, we serve. 3) In going and making disciples, we evangelize. 4) Through baptism, we create community (fellowship). And 5) in teaching, there is discipleship.

After thirty-nine chapters, the “to-do list” could get overwhelming. But Rick Warren is saying, “Stop. Relax. Life is really pretty simple. Just worry about doing two things: follow the great command and fulfill the great commission.”

Now, those two things are big enough to fill a whole, big, wonderful life. But they’re really not that complicated. Love God and others. And the more you love God, the more you’ll want to learn about him. And the more you learn about him, the more you’ll want to tell about him. And finally, the more you love other people, the more you’ll simply want to help (and serve) them.

Near the end of the book, I found today’s reflections very helpful. “Don’t be overwhelmed. Just love!”

In Christ’s Love,

a guy who wants to wear

his heart on his sleeve