The Plumbline

Voice your allegiance - we can do this for many causes, right? There are animal rights groups asking for support all the time - to save the whales, rescue animals from environments that have not provided well for their needs, and provide foster homes for rescued animals. In days gone by some may remember pledging their allegiance to God and country in the form of the Pledge of Allegiance we said in our classrooms every morning. Still others will recount giving their allegiance to any number of 'activist' groups to further women's rights or get equal pay for equal work. Causes abound and allegiance can be granted or rescinded quite easily, but there is one 'allegiance' we need more than any other, and if we want to make wise choices with our allegiance, this one should never be rescinded! So if you believe deep in your heart that God raised Jesus from the pit of death and if you voice your allegiance by confessing the truth that “Jesus is Lord,” then you will be sa...

“Understand, therefore, that the Lord your God is the faithful God who for a thousand generations keeps his promises and constantly loves those who love him and who obey his commands." ( Deuteronomy 7:9   TLB ) Do we really understand faithfulness? Some believe faithfulness to equate to 'adherence' - the idea of living by some code of conduct or rules of operation. Others imagine faithfulness relates to allegiance - pledging one's life, actions, finances, etc., to some cause or individual. I think God's type of faithfulness involves all of these, but it always speaks to his dependability and trustworthiness. It is because he is continually, without variation, dependable in all manner of thought and action, his words carry power and his actions hit the mark each and every time.  What God requires from us is our 'faithfulness' - allegiance, adherence, and attachment. Allegiance speaks to our dedication to him and no other. Adherence speaks to our commitm...

For the Scriptures say, “‘As surely as I live,’ says the  Lord , ‘every knee will bend to me, and every tongue will declare allegiance to God.’” Romans 14:11   NLT Allegiance is more than being bound by a pledge or feeling a sense of "duty" toward something. It is the action behind that pledge - the heart that drives one into action to do as one commits to doing. There are far too many people who do little more than give lip service to whatever it is they are pledging themselves to. Their heart is in it at first, but eventually the heart's enthusiasm begin to wane a little. Don't believe me? You only need look as far as those garage sales in your neighborhood to see the treadmills, stationary bikes, and weight benches, all gathering dust, but barely used for more than catchalls! Lip service is easy - but actually doing what we say we will do requires a measure of determination we often don't possess on our own. Allegiance begins first of all with an adh...