The Plumbline

God’s grace has come. That grace can save everyone. It teaches us not to live against God and not to do the bad things the world wants to do. It teaches us to live on earth now in a wise and right way—a way that shows true devotion to God. We should live like that while we are waiting for the coming of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ. He is our great hope, and he will come with glory. (Titus 2:11-13) Grace has come, so live by doing what is right and wise. The world needs to see us living in true devotion to God, not ourselves. What does that true devotion look like? I think it may resemble choosing to live with others in mind, not always focusing on ourselves. What does it mean to live against God? Sometimes it means we choose to do or say things that will hurt another, but it could just mean we don't put him first in our choices. When we put Christ first in our lives, it may shift our priorities more than just a little bit. It can change our whole world. Would we choose to ...

Who or what are you living for? We are all "living for" someone - even if it is ourselves. We could be a little too self-centered for our own good and only see life how it affects us, totally excluding how the world all around us is impacted by the way we live OUR lives. Or perhaps we are a little too "other-centered", forgetting to take care of ourselves, running like mad-men here and there until we are fatigued to the place of physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion. We may actually be living a "Christ-centered" life - the choices we make being governed by the principles taught in the Word and those we feel compelled to act upon because of the prompting of the Holy Spirit within, but lacking complete consistency in this walk. Somehow we think the question is not how well we are living, but that we are living - missing the point of living in a way which really leaves an impact on the lives we touch. It requires us looking intently at who it is we live ...

Those who go to God Most High for safety will be protected by the Almighty. (Psalm 91:1) Do you know how you get God's protection in your life? You GO to him. You take your worries and pressures TO him. Too many of us think he knows this stuff already and just expect he will 'fix it' without us having to do anything. God's plan is that we acknowledge these needs actually exist and then we allow him to be our protector.  Yes, God does indeed know your struggles, anxiety-producing moments, and even your worries that have absolutely no basis. He knows everything, so why does he ask us to GO to him for his safe protection? There is something powerful in 'taking' our 'stuff' to him. At first, it may be hard to understand, but it is an acknowledgement that we realize his love for us. Yup, when we GO TO him, placing ourselves clearly under his protection and care, we are acknowledging an awareness of his love. More than that, we are acknowledging our recogniti...