Weekend, March 2, 2024<\/strong><\/p>\n Lopsided Christians<\/strong><\/p>\n Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. (Ephesians 4:1<\/a> NLT)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Some Christians are lopsided. They may have one area in their life in which they\u2019re spiritually strong, but they\u2019re weak in other areas. For instance, I\u2019ve met people who have an impressive knowledge of the Bible. Meanwhile, their personal life is in shambles. They\u2019re always struggling with temptation and falling into sin.<\/p>\n The problem is they are imbalanced. They have an understanding of doctrine, but their life is out of balance.<\/p>\n The apostle<\/a> Paul wrote to the Christians in Ephesus, \u201cTherefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God\u201d (Ephesians 4:1<\/a> NLT).<\/p>\n It\u2019s worth noting that Paul wrote this from a prison in Rome. He was a prisoner because he was unwilling to compromise his beliefs, his life, and his message.<\/p>\n And the first thing Paul tells Christians to do in this section of Ephesians is to lead a life worthy of our calling. Maybe you\u2019re thinking, \u201cI\u2019m in trouble. How could I ever be worthy? There is nothing I could ever do to deserve God\u2019s grace.\u201d<\/p>\n However, that is not what \u201cworthy\u201d means here. We also could translate the original word for \u201cworthy\u201d as \u201cbalance the scales.\u201d It can be applied to anything that is expected to correspond to something else. It\u2019s a word that speaks of the coordination of things.<\/p>\n Therefore, Paul was saying, \u201cI want you to walk worthy. I want you to live a balanced life.\u201d<\/p>\n We can have an understanding and belief in doctrine and prophecy as well as facts and figures, but if it isn\u2019t affecting the way that we live as Christians, then we\u2019re missing the point. The Bible says, \u201cAnd all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as he is pure\u201d (1 John 3:3<\/a> NLT).<\/p>\n In other words, our doctrine and belief should affect the way that we live.<\/p>\n Yet there are also Christians who are lopsided in another way. They don\u2019t know much doctrinally. They don\u2019t really know what the Bible teaches on certain subjects, but they love the Lord. And they are passionate about their faith in Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n We might hear them say something like this: \u201cLet\u2019s not quibble over doctrine. I just love Jesus.\u201d<\/p>\n That sounds nice, but we need to realize this is a dangerous statement. If we\u2019re not careful, we might end up loving the wrong Jesus. We might end up believing the wrong gospel<\/a>. This is where doctrine comes in.<\/p>\n The Bible clearly teaches that in the last days there will be false Christs, false gospels, and even false miracles. Paul warned, \u201cFor a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear\u201d (2 Timothy 4:3<\/a> NLT).<\/p>\n There needs to be a balance between our beliefs and our practice, between our doctrine and the way that we live. We need both areas working together. That is what it means to walk worthy of the Lord.<\/p>\n Copyright \u00a9 2024 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved.<\/em><\/p>\n For more relevant and biblical teaching from Pastor Greg Laurie, go to www.harvest.org<\/a><\/strong> Watch Greg Laurie<\/a>‘s weekly television broadcast on LightSource.com<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n In a world that insists God is just a myth, there is overwhelming evidence to the contrary that demands our attention. Renowned author Lee Strobel takes the question of God\u2019s existence head-on in an engaging new book titled Is God Real?<\/em> Tackling the big questions of life, this fantastic resource is both easy to read and useful to share. We will mail you a copy in thanks for your support of Harvest Ministries this month.\u00a0<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/media.swncdn.com\/via\/5363-67149-347375447mktgwebbannersalemmediaupdate-.jpg\")
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Listen to Greg Laurie<\/a>‘s daily broadcast on OnePlace.com.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n![\"is](\"https:\/\/i.swncdn.com\/media\/200w\/via\/images\/2024\/02\/29\/34794\/34794-isoproduct_source_file.webp\")
<\/source><\/picture><\/strong>In thanks for your gift, you can receive a copy of\u00a0<\/strong>Is God Real?<\/em><\/strong><\/a>\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>by Lee Strobel.<\/strong><\/p>\n