The following are some fundamental premises that form the foundation for understanding what I believe to be God’s definition of balance. First, God exists. Second, there are innate rewards in honestly seeking God. Third, God is true love and its only origination. Fourth, true love enables us to properly value God and desire to honor Him. Fifth, true love enables us to properly value ourselves and desire to seek good things for ourselves. Sixth, true love enables us to properly value others and to act for their benefit. Seventh, the action of living these premises accurately will never create among them any contradiction whatsoever.

When Jesus was on the earth He summed up everything He wished us to do in one great commandment, and another that was like it, that is, love God and love others in the way you love yourself. He said that if we were to seek to do this honestly and with all our ability then we would by default, fulfill every law, precept, principle, command and suggestion down to the smallest piece of advice He ever gave us. This is so because all of those laws, precepts etc. were more specific ways He endeavored to teach us little pieces of how to love. Of course, that does not mean we will actually do everything to the letter for every law or precept He has given us, since there are some of which we may not yet be aware or have the courage to apply. It means He will count us as fulfilling them because we are honestly trying, by His grace, to love. In His infinite wisdom and mercy, He understands that in our sinful condition we may never reach a state of actual perfect love until He re-creates us. Therefore, it is His prerogative to consider our honest and whole-hearted effort to love as actual love.

God’s graciousness to accept our feeble efforts as actual attainment does not in any way negate, change or diminish any of His laws or teaching because they are a reflection or characteristic of His character. God is eternal.  God does not change, therefore His law and teaching (His character) is eternally perfect and never in need of change. To suppose that God has changed or made null His law is to suppose that He has changed His character or made it null—impossible! The laws of an entity are a direct and unerring reflection of that entity’s character. The laws of the country of the United States of America directly and unerringly reflect the character of the rulers of that country. The laws of your own household directly and unerringly reflect the character of the rulers of that household. Of course, the character of a ruler strongly influences the character of that ruler’s subjects, willing or otherwise.

Since God is perfect, His character is perfect. Since His character is perfect, His law (the unerring reflection of His character) is perfect. Since the summation of His law is to love, then to love is the crux of the matter. That is easier said than done. Which of us was born knowing the meaning of love? Sure, we all think we know what it means to love. If this were true, however, the world would not be what it is. It remains then, that the greatest work of the mind is to seek to contemplate the meaning of love. To do this adequately will require a continual allocation of significant resources.

There are three great areas of relationship each of us will cultivate deliberately or otherwise, our relationship with God, our relationship with our self, and our relationships with others. The pinnacle of this triad is God. Our ability to relate with others lovingly depends on our ability to love our self—one cannot give from a void. Our ability to love our self is dependent on our knowledge of who God is, what He wishes to give to us, and what He wishes from us–which of course defines our relationship with Him. Happiness and fulfillment in life come from the quality of our relationships. All the goodness that can be experienced hinges on our relationship with God.