The Plumbline

For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes. (Galatians 3:26-27 NLT) Like putting on new clothes. Do you remember getting new clothes as a child? It was kind of exciting, wasn't it? You'd get those shiny new shoes, perfectly pressed outfit, and perhaps even new underwear. You'd don these with a sense of pride almost. You'd feel special. Why would it be any different when we receive Christ into our lives? It is like putting on new clothes - perfect in every way - a special gift that makes all of our life 'special'. As we place our faith in Christ's finished work on Calvary, we put off the old, dirty, shabby clothes of our sinful nature. We don the fresh, new, and perfect clothes of our new nature which only Christ can provide. We don't just get 'new clothes' though. When you got those new clothes as a child, didn't your mom o...

And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. (Romans 8:2) Because - due to the fact that - don't miss that - it is a FACT that you belong to him, having the power of his life-giving Spirit indwelling you. NOW, live free from the power of sin that you once were controlled by! Fact determines reality - start living in the FACT. A fact is that which actually exists or is the case; reality or truth - there is no argument that stands against the FACTS. We are freed, so we need to stop living like 'bondmen' - bound to serve sin's every whim, impractical advice, or evil intent.  Both righteousness and unrighteousness have a power 'backing' them. Righteousness has God's life-giving Spirit backing its every encounter. Unrighteousness has the power of our sin nature offering all manner of confusing thought, 'options' from which to choose, and ill-intentioned suggestions. It is goo...

When anyone is in Christ, it is a whole new world. The old things are gone; suddenly, everything is new! (2 Corinthians 5:17) Suddenly? Really? It may seem to some of us that the 'whole new thing' isn't all that 'new' - some of that 'old stuff' hangs around for a while, or crops up from time to time, making it kind of hard to say everything became 'new' when we said 'yes' to Jesus. It isn't uncommon that the hurts and hangups of yesterday can creep up from time to time, all because we have both muscle memory and cognizant memory. Muscle memory is when we do something without even giving it much conscious thought. Cognizant memory is when we actually think upon it, then act upon it, oftentimes making a very 'determined' decision to pursue something we might know to be entirely wrong for us. Either way, we struggle with those things that creep up on occasion, making us wonder if this 'new us' really 'took hold' when...

God, the one and only—I’ll wait as long as he says. Everything I need comes from him, so why not?  He’s solid rock under my feet,    breathing room for my soul, an impregnable castle:  I’m set for life. My help and glory are in God—granite-strength and safe-harbor-God—so trust him absolutely, people; lay your lives on the line for him.  God is a safe place to be.  (Psalms 62:1-3,7-8 MSG) David had such a personal relationship with God. He was always "My God" to David.  He wasn't just the God of his Fathers, but he was up-close and personal with God. He had developed an intimacy with God, sharing freely of his own heart, and in turn, I believe God shared his heart with him. He points us to the "granite-strength" of God in many of his psalms. He also reminds us to consider the safety of God's protection and covering. These are not foreign concepts as taught and understood by David - somehow he came to know God as his "granite-strength" and "safe...