Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Our Center of Gravity


“Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith…” (Heb. 12:2a)

         We’re told that balance has nothing to do with age and can be improved no matter how old you are. However, I must say, my own experience seems to run counterbalance to that proposition. J But I do know that the key to standing continuously on one foot, while holding both hands clasped above your head, is to remain focused on one place in the room or landscape. If your eyes begin moving from side to side, so will your body! In other words, if you want to keep your balance, you have to remain focused.

         This same physical principle holds true for our spiritual lives as well. There is a reason why God says in Isaiah 45:22, “Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth…” Not only does it save you from hell, it also is the way to keep from falling over in this world of spiritual pitfalls and morally uneven terrain. There is a constant tugging on all sides to try to tip us one way or another. Our own personal world, like the earth itself, must revolve around the Son if we are ever to experience equilibrium in this life. The first ten words in Hebrews 12:2 tell us why.

Our faith begins and ends with Jesus Christ. He’s the “author and finisher.” Everything else is just incidental. Even spiritual things. Our church and its doctrines, our ministry and the good things we do for others, even prayer and Bible reading, are all good things; but none of them are an end in themselves. Jesus Christ, the “finisher of our faith,” (I say this reverently) is where the buck stops. His is the face on which we must focus if we want to keep our spiritual balance. And when we set goals for ourselves—and we should—they should be in a direct line with that vision. The answer to any question we have in life will only be right if He has been factored into the equation.

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, “A body is said to be in stable equilibrium when it returns to its original position after being disturbed,” and a Christian’s Spiritual balance can be gauged by how long it takes him or her to return their gaze to Jesus Christ. For the believer, He is our Center of Gravity, and the only One who can keep us from losing our balance and falling (Jude 24a). Mark it down, big, plain, and tall: When we look away at anything or anyone else, we always run the risk of a bad fall. (Ask Peter.)

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