The Plumbline

If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.  (Mother Teresa) Who do you belong to? Go ahead, answer that one honestly. There are some of us who will declare boldly, with swift commitment and assured confidence, that we belong to Christ alone. I have to challenge that one a little this morning, though, because most of us live as though we we might not 'totally' belong to anyone other than ourselves. Yup, me included. There are just times when I think we all struggle with remembering there was supposed to be this ongoing exchange of our will for his throughout our lives. We don't just do it once and then it is a 'done deal'. It is a daily exchange of 'power and authority'. We yield to his power and authority moment by moment - remembering there is no greater freedom than is found in being submitted to his will and purpose. But now you belong to Christ Jesus. At one time you were far away from God. Now you have been brough...

3  For by the grace given to me I say to every one of you not to think more highly of yourself than you ought to think, but to think with sober discernment, as God has distributed to each of you a measure of faith.  4  For just as in one body we have many members, and not all the members serve the same function,  5  so we who are many are one body in Christ, and individually we are members who belong to one another.  (Romans 12:3-5 ESV)  I don't know if you have ever considered "belonging to one another" before, but in light of this reminder from the Apostle Paul, let us spend some time today just exploring what that may "look like" in our everyday life. One of the first things that comes to mind if I truly realize I belong to someone other than myself is that my normal focus on "me" is going to need to change! It has to be about someone other than me all of the time! That may not be the most popular concept to put our there to begin with, but it is ...