The Plumbline

16  But Ruth said, “Don’t force me to leave you! Don’t force me to go back to my own people. Let me go with you. Wherever you go, I will go. Wherever you sleep, I will sleep. Your people will be my people. Your God will be my God.   17  Where you die, I will die, and that is where I will be buried. I ask the  Lord  to punish me if I don’t keep this promise: Only death will separate us.” (Ruth 1:16-17 ERV) Naomi found herself widowed, losing both sons, as well. A widow in her day and age relied upon sons to take care of her, but now they were gone and she only had her two daughter-in-laws who could possibly help support her. The desire to remain together as a "family unit" is strong, but when it comes to leaving a place where you are comfortable, surrounded by friends and other family members, it can be quite difficult. The time comes when Naomi wants to return to her home land - to be nearer her own kin. Perhaps someone will act as a "redeemer" on her behalf ...

12  I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me.   13  No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead,   14  I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. (Philippians 3:12-14 NLT) It is a well-known fact that an object moves toward where it is pointed or directed. In terms of our lives, it has to do with our "line of sight" - we focus on something and we move toward it - or avoid it all together as something dangerous we should stay away from. Unless we are cliff diving we probably don't move beyond the edge of the cliff - but how many times do we get right up to the edge just to "look over" to see what is there? There are times we allow ...

Destination - the purpose for which someone is destined.  Really we can thing of being "destined" as being set apart for a particular purpose - we have a "use" defined for our lives.  Our "destination" is "in Christ" if we have entered into relationship with him.  If not, our "destination" is rather uncertain. 25-27 But now you have arrived at your destination: By faith in Christ you are in direct relationship with God. Your baptism in Christ was not just washing you up for a fresh start. It also involved dressing you in an adult faith wardrobe—Christ's life, the fulfillment of God's original promise. (Galations 3:25-27 The Message) The awesome point of this passage is the "direct" relationship we have with God through Christ.  The Apostle Paul has spent better than half of this letter to the Galations explaining the purpose of the Law of Moses as "pointing to" the destination he now reveals -...