Text: I Corinthians 7:25-31. "Now concerning virgins I have no commandment of the Lord: yet I give my judgment, as one that hath obtained mercy of the Lord to be faithful. 26 I suppose therefore that this is good for the present distress, I say, that it is good for a man so to be. (Single) 27 Art thou bound unto a wife? seek not to be loosed. Art thou loosed from a wife? seek not a wife. 28 But and if thou marry, thou hast not sinned; and if a virgin marry, she hath not sinned. Nevertheless such shall have trouble in the flesh: but I spare you. 29 But this I say, brethren, the time is short: it remaineth, that both they that have wives be as though they had none; 30 And they that weep, as though they wept not; and they that rejoice, as though they rejoiced not; and they that buy, as though they possessed not; 31 And they that use this world, as not abusing it: for the fashion of this world passeth away."

Introduction: There is such a thing as a law or rule of compensation. The word "compensate," means to counterbalance or offset; to make a necessary allowance or adjustment. Wages are considered a compensation for a specified time or amount of work. We also see this law demonstrated in the world of sports. Recently, I saw the highlights of a football game played in blizzard like conditions. The field goal kicker compensated for a driving crosswind, by adjusting the direction of his kick. By compensating, kicking way to the right of his target, the wind drove the football through the goal posts. Also in football, if a team is behind, the last two minutes of the game are played differently. Considering the time, they go into a two minute offense, compensating to increase their ability to move down the field. It is the offensive strategy employed when time is short. This is no time for running the ball. This is a time for sideline passes, and for getting out of bounds to stop the clock.

Players compensate in golf. If the green breaks to the left of the hole, the golfer compensates, pushing the ball to the right. This law or rule is used in theater. An actor on stage must exaggerate his or her facial expressions, voice, articulation, and gestures, to get the desired affect on the audience.

It is observed that often life is not balanced. It has an "ebb and flow." This demands that we compensate, allowing our lives to get "out of balance in one area" at least for a while, to meet a need or the demands of ministry. Ask a mother with four children under her feet to live a balanced life, and she will laugh in your face! There are times when you must compensate in one area of need for a period of time, upsetting the order and balance of your life.

In a sermon, A.W. Tozer once spoke of spiritual overcompensation. The word "overcompensate," means to make more than the necessary allowance or adjustment. Obviously, no matter the century, Christians have had to compensate, make adjustments in life, to offset the hazardous crosswinds of a sinful culture. Jesus prayed in John 17, that we remain in the world, but not of the world. The only way this can happen, is to compensate, being sanctified by God through personal obedience to His Word. In his sermon, Tozer identified seven things in our lives and culture that "fashion" or shape us, whether we realize it or not.

Seven Things That Shape Your Life

1. The literature you read. An author's ideas, fashion you're mind.
2. The music you listen to. Music determines what your like inside.
3. The pleasures you indulge in. In time, if not immediately, the pleasures you allow yourself can make or break you.
4. The ambitions you entertain. Most of us are imitators. It makes a difference who you imitate or follow.
5. The places you go. On way to heaven, where do you visit? Does it reflect where you're going?
6. The words you speak. Your vocabulary defines you more then you know.
7. The friends you cherish. We are no better, will rise no higher, than the company we keep. Tozer said, "It is better to break with certain friendships if you're going to serve God. (Take up your cross, turn your back on everybody necessary, even family). It is better to have no friends but Christ, than be full of friends in Sodom before it's destruction. Walk in counsel of the godly."

A.W. Tozer goes on to say, "Most of my life I have under-compensated for Christ. Meaning; the time I spent with Him was minor, compared to all the other things I invested my life in. It was five minutes of Christ, three hours of television. Twenty minutes of prayer, one hour of homework. Three hours hanging with friends, ten minutes in God's Word. One hour eating, no time serving the poor." So what has changed? I'm not totally sure, but I know that the Sprit of the Lord is actively moving in me. I am not sure if my explanation grasps this radical change in my life, but the big change seemed to have occurred last week. I spent four hours in Romans, and afterward I felt cleansed, like God was once again my priority. It's not a hard process. Think about how people spend time tanning on the beach. What does one have to do get a tan? Does he or she have to negotiate with the sun to pour down on him or her? No, the sun is always doing just that, all the individual has to do is take off his or her covering. Spending time with Christ is the same way, we just expose ourselves to Him. My guess is, we do this through fellowship, His Word, speaking truth, and prayer...etc. Then perhaps, we will bear the mark, the evidence of being shined on from the Son. Never was a evil dead done that wasn't thought about first. As we overcompensate by surrendering our time, our thoughts, our hearts, to His service, then this Christian Life has begun."

What and where do you need to spiritually overcompensate in 2008?