How to Become a Spiritually Balanced Person (According to Jesus)
Most of life—physically, emotionally, relationally, spiritually—is about balance. A car out of balance shakes. A person with vertigo can’t walk straight. And spiritually, the same thing is true: unbalanced living leads to confusion, hypocrisy, and frustration.
In Luke 6:37–45, Jesus gives us a picture of what spiritually balanced people look like. It’s not about watering down truth or becoming passive. It’s about learning to walk the line between generosity and discernment.
This sermon focused on the first half of that balance: generosity.
1. Spiritually Balanced People Are Generous (Not Just Financially)
Generosity in Scripture isn’t just about money—it’s about having a big soul.
The word Pastor Nick introduced was:
magnanimous = generous + forgiving, especially toward difficult or less powerful people.
That’s what Jesus models. That’s what the world needs. That’s what our families need. And that’s what spiritually balanced people look like.
But Jesus makes something clear: generosity requires humility.
“Others above me” isn’t just a slogan—it’s a way of living.
If we believe we are the center of the universe, we will never become generous people.
2. Generous in Judgment (Not Condemning, But Honest)
Jesus begins with a verse often quoted but rarely understood:
“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned.” (v.37)
Here’s what this does not mean:
❌ “Christians can never call anything wrong.”
Here’s what it does mean:
✔ We don’t make personal, prideful, or superficial judgments
✔ We don’t use ourselves as the standard
✔ We don’t condemn people from a place of arrogance
Jesus isn’t forbidding discernment—He teaches that next week.
In fact, in the same passage He says:
- Don’t follow blind guides (requires judgment)
- You’ll know trees by their fruit (requires judgment)
So what’s the difference?
Ungodly Judgment =
- rooted in opinion
- rooted in preference
- rooted in pride
- rooted in assumption
Godly Discernment =
- rooted in truth
- rooted in Scripture
- rooted in humility
- rooted in love
Or as Pastor Nick put it:
“We don’t judge the world by our opinion — we proclaim the judgment God has already made.”
That’s why saying…
- “Lying is sin”
- “Sexual immorality is sin”
- “Bitterness destroys you”
…is not judgmental. It’s biblical. It’s loving. It’s hopeful. Because sin destroys, and Jesus saves.
3. Generous in Forgiveness (Mercy Over Payback)
Jesus continues:
“Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” (v.37)
In other words:
- forgiven people forgive
- mercied people show mercy
Mercy is:
not giving people what they do deserve
This is the gospel.
No one has ever wronged you more than you have wronged God—yet He forgave you completely.
So why do we struggle so deeply to forgive others?
Because forgiveness feels unfair—until we remember that grace saved our lives.
A powerful line from the sermon:
“Nothing hinders the Spirit of God in the family of God like unforgiveness among the people of God.”
Forgiveness doesn’t always mean:
- reconciliation
- trust
- friendship
But it always means:
- releasing bitterness
- refusing to punish
- refusing to weaponize the past
Or as Corrie Ten Boom put it:
“Forgiveness is an act of the will.”
4. What Spiritually Balanced Generosity Looks Like
From this passage, here’s the picture:
Spiritually balanced people:
- show restraint in judgment
- give mercy instead of revenge
- speak truth without superiority
- make evaluations without condemnation
- forgive quickly and deeply
- assume the best instead of the worst
- let go instead of holding grudges
Or put simply:
They treat people the way Jesus treats them.
How to Live This Out This Week
Here are practical steps to apply:
✔ 1. Look in the Mirror Before You Look Out the Window
Before pointing at others, ask:
“What sin in my own heart do I need to deal with first?”
✔ 2. Proclaim Truth, Not Preference
Before speaking, ask:
“Is this my opinion, or God’s Word?”
✔ 3. Give People Room to Be Human
Don’t jump to conclusions. Don’t assume motives. Don’t condemn stories you haven’t heard.
✔ 4. Forgive Someone (For Real)
Ask yourself:
“Who am I still punishing in my heart?”
Forgiveness is not denying hurt — it’s surrendering control.
✔ 5. Pray for Someone Who Hurt You
It is nearly impossible to stay bitter toward someone you are praying for.
Final Thought
One day, every one of us will meet Jesus—maybe in 50 years, maybe in 5 seconds. When that moment comes, we won’t be judged by our feelings or our opinions, but by the truth of God’s Word.
So here are two questions to close:
If you are not a believer:
Are you ready to meet the Judge of all the earth?
If you are a believer:
Who do you need to forgive so God’s Spirit can move freely in your life again?
Because spiritually balanced people don’t just know the gospel —
they extend the gospel.