Topic: Living in Balance (Matthew 6:33)
If you scroll through social media or browse the self-help section in any bookstore today, you’ll see this repeated message: “Find balance,” “Work-life harmony,” “Don’t let one thing take over the other.” We are told that a balanced life is the key to peace and happiness. And yet, have you ever noticed the more we chase balance, the more stressed we become? Just when you think you’ve balanced your work, your family suddenly needs more of you. When your family is doing well, your health takes a hit. When your health improves, your spiritual life starts running dry.
Imagine a man trying to balance on a seesaw that keeps moving. One moment he’s up, the next he’s down, always adjusting, never stable. That’s what chasing “balance” feels like. We keep moving but never find peace. So maybe the question we should ask is not “How do I balance my life?” But “What is Jesus calling me to do right now?”
Jesus never taught balance, He taught devotion and priority.
Luke 9:33 says, “And He was saying to them all, ‘If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.’”
Matthew 6:33 says, “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
Jesus did not say in Matthew 6:33, “balance the kingdom among other priorities,” but “seek it first.”
To seek first the Kingdom means:
- God is not one compartment of your life—He is the core.
- Work becomes worship.
- Family becomes ministry.
- Rest becomes trust.
- Even ambition becomes stewardship.
When God is first, everything else finds its rightful place.
If you keep God at the center of your marriage, you will love your spouse selflessly.
If you keep God at the center of your work, your career becomes a calling.
If you keep God at the center of your rest, you find peace, not guilt, in stillness.
If we chase balance without Christ, we end up exhausted and empty.
See you Sunday!
Dr. Scott Kallem