Outward Energy Regulated By Inward Peace

I saw what looked like a sea of glass glowing with fire.
Revelation 15:2

Before the seven last bowls of judgment are poured, John pictures an unusual scene: a “sea of glass glowing with fire”—images evoking both peace and judgment. In the same seemingly contradictory way, Jesus is called both the “Lion” and the “Lamb” (Revelation 5:5-6). Contradictions? No—balance.

Out of John’s description of peace and judgment, W. Graham Scroggie gleans a lesson on the powerful possibilities of a balanced life.

WALK WITH W. GRAHAM SCROGGIE
“Peace and energy do not always go together, though they should. Peace without energy may be only stagnation; and energy without peace may be but a form of panic.

“What we need is that our glassy sea be mixed with fire, and that our fire shall have for its home a glassy sea.

“Why should peace exclude passion, and why should passion destroy peace? Why should one moral quality triumph at the expense of another?

“Yet too often it is so. Sometimes our sea is not glass, but tempest-tossed, and sometimes our fire burns low. Sometimes it is all calm and no energy, and sometimes it is all energy and no calm.

“But what is possible and right is that the glassy sea be mixed with fire, that our outward energy be regulated by inward peace, and that our inward peace find expression in outward energy. Then shall there be power in balance.”

WALK CLOSER TO GOD
Power out of control (such as an earthquake or volcanic eruption) can endanger many. Power under control (an internal combustion engine or a hydroelectric plant) can benefit many. And a power outage accomplishes nothing for anyone!

Which of the three power levels best characterizes your life?

If the answer is unsettling, look to the one who can help you catch—and keep—the balanced walk of a child of God.