The very well-known ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle and others when talking about ‘the good life’, spoke in terms of how we ought to live, to behave and function, that we should act in a balanced manner. This is called the ‘Golden Mean’ or the ‘Goldilocks Principle’ (a term also used in Christian Apologetics to explain how well placed our world is in the greater scope of the universe as opposed to where it could have been with devastating results). As a Christian disciple of many years and as a veteran minister I have come to appreciate this principle in everyday life as well as a model for Christian service. Below is a quote from one of my favourite authors, the late Dallas Willard, a brilliant mind and a gift from God who served as a minister and an academic (as professor of Philosophy at University of Southern California). What he says is very simple but very powerful; we need to remember the simple things, lest we forget them and suffer.
“Now we must not worship without study, for ignorant worship is of limited value and can be very dangerous. We may develop “a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge” (Rom. 10:2) and do great harm to ourselves and others. But worship must be added to study to complete the renewal of our mind through a willing absorption in the radiant person who is worthy of all praise. Study without worship is also dangerous, and the people of Jesus constantly suffer from its effects, especially in academic settings. To handle the things of God without worship is always to falsify them.”
Willard, D. (1998) The Divine Conspiracy, New York, NY, HarperCollins Publishers, p.362-363
