Out Of Balance

I

 have a ritual which I perform on almost a daily basis.  I come home, turn on the computer, get on the Internet, check my e-mail, visit by bank’s website, and download my current banking information into my computer.  My records are updated and I know at any given moment that my records are in balance with the bank.  At the slightest hint of a discrepancy, I check my records or call the bank to resolve the issue.  Technology has really made it easier to keep my finances in balance.  Now, if only there were a computer program that would limit the amount I spend on books and coffee, I’d be set to go.

All joking aside, the Internet has made my banking much easier and much more enjoyable.  Before the advent of computerized banking and keeping in constant touch with the bank’s computer, balancing my checkbook was a hassle and a chore, not to mention an impossibility.  I would invariably forget to write a transaction down or I would put off balancing the checkbook until the very last minute and then it took hours, sometimes days, to arrive at a true balance.  It was a nightmare! 

On more than one occasion I’d call for reinforcements.  My mom kept the books for our family business so when I got into trouble, I called for the cavalry.  She would take my checkbook and pour through my entries and check my math.  I was always convinced the bank was wrong and she always insisted my math was wrong!  She was right!  My math skills are still questionable to this day so I am so very thankful for my little buddy the computer who does all those wonderful calculations for me and keeps me in balance.

The principle of keeping a balanced checkbook is directly applicable to maintaining a balanced life.  Far too often, we live as if there were no accounting necessary for our actions, our thoughts, or the motivations behind them.  Yet, the Scriptures are very clear that we need to maintain constant contact with God so that our lives remain balanced and in keeping with His standards and commands for our lives.  A life out of balance with God is neither a pretty picture nor an enviable position.

The book of Daniel gives us the example of Belshazzar, King of Babylon. One evening, Belshazzar threw a party for one thousand of his nobles. He sent for the gold and silver goblets that had been taken from the temple in Jerusalem when Nebuchadnezzar, his father, exiled the Israelites to Babylon.  The goblets arrived and the king and his nobles drank from them.  A human hand appeared and wrote a message on the wall, a message that Daniel interpreted for Belshazzar and one that showed how woefully out of balance his life had become.

Daniel 5:27 reads, “Tekel: You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting.”  You want to talk about balancing a checkbook?  Belshazzar’s account fell terribly short of God’s accounting.  Notice that Daniel says God weighs us in His balances, not in ours.  Belshazzar, as do we, believed that his actions carried no consequence and that as far as he was concerned, his life was in perfect balance.  But balance is not based on position, power, prestige, or fame.  It is based on God’s Holy Word and upon His principles and precepts.

If we don’t spend time in God’s word, if we don’t spend time on our knees in prayer, if we never check in to see how our lives measure up on His scales, we are destined for a rude awakening.  God has given us the means to keep our lives in line.  The statement of His accounting is found in His word yet we do not spend time on a regular basis checking in, making sure we are in balance.  Today, we can connect to banks and other financial institutions and survey our economic standing at a glance.  But when was the last time we took a survey of our spiritual checkbooks?  Are we living according to God’s requirements or are we out of balance? How do we measure up today?