June 26, 2008 - Acts 6:3b-4

“’We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.’” Acts 6:3b-4.
The leadership of the community of the followers of Jesus made a decision to turn aspects of the service within the community over to a group of people who could focus on specific duties assigned to them. In turn, the leaders could specifically focus on prayer, teaching, and preaching. It seems that, before, these leaders were active in all aspects of service within the community, and they realized that the community was suffering – the number of servers was not growing, while the number of those being served was. It was putting more time demands on the leadership, and they (and the community) needed relief. They realized that something was out of balance within the community, and they needed to make the appropriate changes to bring about proper balance.
Proper balance is certainly a challenge for anyone who senses that they are on a mission to accomplish something. I find that, when I get focused on a particular aspect of my work for too long, I sometimes get out of balance in other aspects of my life. Perhaps my prayer life pays the price, or I do not get the rest or exercise that I need. We all know that when a car tire gets out of balance, the whole car seems not to be performing well. The same is true for our lives. Even though our mission, whatever it may be, is important and life-giving, we must strive to maintain an optimum balance.
Questions to consider: Am I giving my attention to the right things? Am I seeking to have a balanced life or am I out of balance in an area? What do I need to do to walk in a balanced lifestyle in order to fulfill my mission in a more complete manner?
Prayer: Father, give me eyes to see if I am out of balance or not. Help me to make the decisions necessary to walk in a balanced lifestyle. Amen.