You might want to live like there’s no tomorrow and “eat, drink, and be merry” (Luke 12:19). But God’s Word tells us that “people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). And the truth is, death could happen at any time. Belshazzar wasted his life. He didn’t realize that that his life was short in the context of eternity. If he had grasped this truth, then he’d have chosen to live for God instead of himself. Learn from his mistakes, and make the final days you have count and mean something. When we recognize our limitations, we tend to make the most of our lives.
Remember to balance your life. Almost everyone says they don’t spend their time the way they want. Being busy is not enough. Busy is never better. “My days go by faster than a runner; they fly away without my seeing any joy” (Job 9:25, NCV). You know that being out of balance isn’t good for you. There are more important things than working late, surfing Facebook, becoming Tik Tok famous, or shopping online. On your death bed, you’re NOT going to wish you could have spent another hour at Costco. Don’t just work to be busy; work to serve God and make the most of this life. You may be feeling social pressure to be successful, or may be influenced by the financial doctrine “You can have it all and have it all now.” You weren’t intended to live under this kind of pressure.
So shore up your heart! This is the opposite of a divided heart. To shore up your heart means to make it whole again. You can go from hectic to holy once you begin to hear God’s voice and heed his warnings. The personal changes that YOU need to make might look different than the changes others need to make, but the Holy Spirit will guide you through this. Perhaps no principle is greater than the one God gave thirty-five hundred years ago to keep the Sabbath Day holy. The word Sabbath means a day of rest, a day set aside to stop, listen, review, rest, and re-create. God knows that our bodies, minds, and spirits need such rest for replenishment. Even God rested after creating the world (see Genesis 2:2)! We can get more done in six days than in seven. And remember to PLAY! “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones” (Proverbs 17:22, NIV). It’s so important to obey God, no matter what. “The time is always right to do what is right” (Martin Luther King, Jr.).
The ultimate goal for the Jews who were freed from Egypt was to get to a place referred to as “The Promised Land.” But the ones who realized the conditions of their hearts were preventing them from getting there, got there sooner. You will, too! The promised land is less of a location and more of a condition. If you truly want a balanced life during the new normal, you need to recognize your limitations, balance your life, and shore up your heart!