Not All Things in Moderation
For years, people used the simple quip “all things in moderation.” It was a short and memorable statement, meant to show that life was to be lived with balance. It has surely been helpful to many people over the years, as it helped them do fun things, but to look at the bigger picture. For example, the phrase helped people not eat 6 slices of ooey-gooey chocolate fudge cake (yummmmmmm). But I digress.
As helpful as the old saying is, there are some things I do not want to do in moderation.
No, I’m not talking about sinful things. I shouldn’t want to do those things at all! Instead, I am thinking of good things, but things that I believe should be “out of balance” because they are so high on the priority list that they consume my thoughts and actions.
What are some things I do not want to do in moderation?
1. Bring glory to God. For the Christian, this should be a consuming passion. Every word, thought, and action should be done to His glory. Simply put, there is no way to do this in moderation. We are either bringing Him glory, or we are not.
2. Pursue my wife. We are married, but I want Leah to know that she is the only person on the planet who holds that place in my heart. I want her to know that she is more special to me today than yesterday, and that continues to grow. If I am only pursuing her “in moderation,” how could she ever really know that?
3. Train my children. Is it even possible to raise up in children in a moderate way? Everything they see from me is training them in some way, so why would I ever consider taking time away, or stepping over to some other work? It should be a constant drive in my heart to live before them, discipline them, and teach them at all times.
4. Honor the Lord’s Church. Some try to do this in moderation, because they “go to church” on Sunday, but don’t speak well of His Body throughout the week. Instead, I want to show people that the Church is not only vital, it is wonderful. Daily, let us resolve to bring honor to the blood-bought Body of our Lord.
5. Respect my heritage. Each day, I should be concerned with the family that blessed me in so many ways. As a Christian, I never want to besmirch the name of Christ. In addition, I should be striving to do good so that those who have done good things before me are honored. (By the way, if you do not have such a heritage, you can change this one to “build a respectable heritage.”) Would those who have gone before and done great things be proud of what I am doing daily? That should be constantly on my mind.
COMMENT: There are many other things that should be done constantly, but I want to hear from you. In the comments, share some of your thoughts. What are some other things that should never be done in moderation?
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Photo credit: Todd Petit on Creative Commons
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