The Plumbline

I enjoy watching the re-runs of the TV series, "The Waltons".  The simpler times have their intrigue.  The struggles to remain true to their convictions when times are quickly changing around them is a reminder to me of the speed of change demanding our attention today.  What touches me the most is their simple trust - in their neighbors, in their family, and in their God.  One of the characters on the show, Ike Godsey, is the store owner and local postmaster.  His store is never really what we'd call "impressive" by today's standards, but it always seemed he could get his hands on whatever anyone was looking to obtain - even if he had to special order it.  Today's passage reminds us of the "general store" available to all of us. 52   He said, "Then you see how every student well-trained in God's kingdom is like the owner of a general store who can put his hands on anything you need, old or new, exactly when you need it."   (Ma...

2-3   God , my God, I yelled for help and you put me together.     God , you pulled me out of the grave, gave me another chance at life       when I was down-and-out.  (Psalm 30:2-3) Sometimes we blast through our scripture reading and never stop to look at how the "names" of God are actually written.  Did you know that the publishers of our Bibles have gone to great lengths (in most translations) to assist us in understanding that the names of God are different in some passages?  As you note above, sometimes GOD or LORD is in all caps and at others it is God or Lord.  That is because David is using two very distinct terms to describe this delivering and very capable God he serves! David has been in a real mess - he has been hotly pursued by King Saul's armies, betrayed by friends, not very secure in his future (from his vantage point).  He has spent hours pouring his heart out to his Lord and now, ...

Don't you see that you can't live however you please, squandering what God paid such a high price for? The physical part of you is not some piece of property belonging to the spiritual part of you. God owns the whole works. So let people see God in and through your body. (I Corinthians 6:19-20) We began to look at the concept of being bought (purchased) with a price that was far too great for any of us to pay - the life of the Son of God. That purchase moved us into the unique position of being another's possession - owned by another.  Today, we will explore what kind of obligation this places us under - what does being owned by Christ - indwelt by his Spirit - mean for us in our day to day walk? It is possible for us to "own" something, yet not be in full possession of it.  A few years back, the city of Phoenix had a freeway construction project planned that brought this to light for many homeowners in the area.  They came to realize that they had purchased pro...