Balance!

Balance!

Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth. 3 John 1:2 KJV

John writes thess words to one Gaius, who he says he loves in the truth. Why is this important? In my life's journey, many people will cross my path or impact my life one way or another. What impact do I seek to leave on other people on my journey to eternity? What legacies am I laying down presently as God brings people into my life? One thing is certain: people will come into your life for a season or a reason, but no matter which one it is, I must make sure I leave eternal footprints on their hearts. Is that what I am presently doing or am I all about optics and drama?

Then the prayer: John makes it clear what his prayer point and desire is for Gaius. There are so many desires a man can pursue, but I do not think that there can be anything over and above physical health and prosperity. The world has sold us a strange picture of success. It has told us that it has to be visible and tangible for it to matter. So, we run and chase after that picture, not even sure what we are supposed to be looking for, and not even certain if and when we have attained the picture, because that picture actually has no definite structure, form or limit. It is an idea based on the devil's false notions of priorities, and if you do not submit your heart to God, you will just run. There is no guarantee that you will ever arrive if you don't even know the direction of travel or the destination.

So that my life does not become a fruitless chase of an idea, I must find out what God wants for me and focus on it. It frees my heart from covetousness, covered yesterday, and allows me to thrive within the boundaries of God's amazing grace. It is said that men who make impact on the world are those who have freed themselves from men's expectations. It sets your heart at rest no matter what the races around you look like. How would I not be in sound health if I am content with where God has placed me, and confident in where He is taking me? What else can be more comforting and settling like knowing that the Master of the Universe has got your back and is backing you up to succeed on His own terms? 

Let me just emphasize the part about the soul: if your soul is not prospering, your body will not follow suit. That is why when God breathed into man, He became a living soul, not a living body. The body is just dust, and will return back to where it was sourced from. It is the soul that will stand for judgement, yet it is the ignored and neglected part of our being. We starve it while we feed the body, sometimes to excess. No wonder John ties bodily health to the condition of the soul. 

If nothing registers today, let this sink in: focus on your soul. Nourish, feed and protect it from pollution; it is the foundation for all that God wants to do in and through a human life. If I will truly prosper; if I will truly live out my days in sound health, the secret lies in that inner, hidden part of the soul, which is connected and fully submitted to God. In surrender lies my victory. In surrender lies my healing. In surrender lies my prosperity. Are you totally surrendered? His time of favour is here.