The Plumbline

Calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You’re not in the driver’s seat; I am. Don’t run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I’ll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to saving yourself, your true self. What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you? What could you ever trade your soul for? (Mark 8:32-37) Are you a follower of Christ? If so, your life is marked by some very unique things, such as embracing suffering, not being so intent on yourself that you cannot see the needs of others and being willing to allow Christ to take the lead in your life. How many times do we ask Jesus to take the lead in our lives, intending to live a holy, upright, and circumspect life, only to take the lead right back from him whenever the urge hits us? If you are anything like me, it has been like a game of musical chairs! Followers LET Jesus lead - that means w...

A healthy spirit has a somewhat conquering power! There is a physical and mental soundness or vigor that is evident when the spirit is in a place of "healthiness". The hard times and then we are subject to the potential of a crushed spirit. What can we do when the spirit becomes crushed by hard times, difficult circumstances, or disappointments galore? That's a tough one - even though our first answer might be to turn to Jesus to have him heal it, we sometimes don't think of that as our 'first go to' in these circumstances! That is kind of like a "pat answer" for all of our life's problems for some people, but do they really 'work that one out' by really going to Jesus first off and leaving the tough stuff with him? We often turn to him for this return of spiritual health without even realizing what it was that brought us to the point of being crushed - we just know that we 'hurt' and we don't want to any longer! A healthy spi...