The Plumbline

 And because you belong to Christ Jesus, God’s peace will stand guard over all your thoughts and feelings. His peace can do this far better than our human minds.(Philippians 4:7) Those who belong - do you 'belong'? Some perceive 'belonging' as having the 'proper credentials', such as when you 'belong' to the country club in your local town and can get the benefits of that 'membership'. Others might think of 'belonging' as 'being properly placed' - having a specific purpose in what you do somewhere for someone. The oldest meaning of this world indicated a certain 'dependence' upon one another or someone with a 'greater position' than you had. If we think of 'belonging' to Christ as 'having a relationship' with one who holds a 'superior position', we might just be a little closer to how this word is used in scripture. To 'belong' to Christ suggests a relationship of willing service to

When the Israelites saw Pharaoh and his army coming toward them, they were very frightened and cried to the Lord for help. They said to Moses, “Why did you bring us out of Egypt? Did you bring us out here in the desert to die? We could have died peacefully in Egypt; there were plenty of graves in Egypt. We told you this would happen! In Egypt we said, ‘Please don’t bother us. Let us stay and serve the Egyptians.’ It would have been better for us to stay and be slaves than to come out here and die in the desert.” But Moses answered, “Don’t be afraid! Don’t run away! Stand where you are and watch the Lord save you today. You will never see these Egyptians again. You will not have to do anything but stay calm. The Lord will do the fighting for you.” (Exodus 14:10-14) There are a lot of times God brings us to a certain point in our lives and all we do is 'stand there and watch', hoping for the Lord to do all the work. The very next verse is God's directive to MOVE. In other w

Don’t worry about anything, but pray and ask God for everything you need, always giving thanks for what you have. And because you belong to Christ Jesus, God’s peace will stand guard over all your thoughts and feelings. His peace can do this far better than our human minds. (Philippians 4:6-7) If you struggle with what to say when you stop long enough to talk with God about things you are experiencing anxiety about, you are probably among a huge group of others who experience similar anxious thoughts. Anxiety has become one of the biggest issues today simply because of all the uncertainty in the world around us. Supply chain issues, rising interest rates, difficulty finding jobs that pay enough to make ends meet, unrest over one's beliefs, and the list goes on. For some, these things can become overwhelmingly difficult to deal with. The desire is to have God take it all away, but the reality is that God primarily helps us walk through those difficulties rather than removing them co

God’s voice is glorious in the thunder. We can’t even imagine the greatness of his power. He directs the snow to fall on the earth and tells the rain to pour down. Then everyone stops working so they can watch his power. (Job 37:5-7) If you have ever been in the midst of a thunderstorm, you might have just sat and listened as the drops of rain came down and the winds billowed a bit. The patter of the drops on the rooftop aren't all that threatening, but when the huge crack of thunder comes and the sky lights up with lightening, it is another thing. As a wee kid, I'd be outside playing when the winds would start, but they didn't faze me. As soon as I heard that first rumble of thunder, I bolted to the fence line and called to mom. Why? I wanted deliverance from the storm! Within a matter of minutes, mom's arms would be around me and we would be safe inside the protection of the house. The rains came, the winds blew, lightening crisscrossed the sky, and some of the louder

C.S. Lewis reminds us, " God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing. " I think we look a whole lot of places for happiness - from within relationships to the things we purchase. We look for peace but find circumstances and attitudes that don't really support it. How are we to find peace if it is so elusive? Romans 8:5-7 tells us, " Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will. " Perhaps the only way we find true and lasting peace is to allow peace to actually enter into each of us by saying 'yes' to Jesus! The sinful nature wants to dominate us - to in

Has anyone or anything been disturbing your peace lately? If you watch the evening news, there are reports of mass shootings, angry confrontations between this group or that, natural disasters sweeping away those in their path, homes destroyed by fires, and families torn apart by things way beyond their control. Indeed, there are a plethora of things that can disturb our peace in a matter of seconds, but we don't have to allow our peace to be destroyed by any of these things or people. God's peace is capable of surpassing whatever seeks to disturb it. The way peace is maintained is also the way it is attained - we place our trust in the One True God. You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! Trust in the Lord always, for the Lord God is the eternal Rock. (Isaiah 26:3-4) What are 'fixed thoughts'? If you are like me, your mind can ramble right along from one thought to the next without taking a breather at all. We can get

  But the wisdom that comes from God is first of all pure, then peaceful, gentle, and easy to please. This wisdom is always ready to help those who are troubled and to do good for others. It is always fair and honest. People who work for peace in a peaceful way plant a good crop of right-living. (James 3:17-18) What 'crop' are you planting today? Are you planting actions that reveal a heart 'working for peace'? In today's world, we can see all manner of tensions and upsets. We need godly individuals who will rise up, live peaceable lives, being godly examples that reveal how God's presence in our lives helps us live in peace and with peace.  We cannot live 'in' peace with each other until we are 'at peace' with God.  God's presence in our lives brings a new standard for living, but it is far from just living a 'religious life'. As we begin to be affected by the peace of God within, we begin to operate in the realm of his wisdom and pu

Know why so many arguments happen? We aren't walking 'in tune' with each other - we have gotten out of step with one another. We are so focused on something else and we get all 'out of whack' with each other - sometimes without even noticing. Whenever we are 'doing our own thing', we have little concern for what the 'other guy' needs or wants in the relationship. We find ourselves running over each other quite easily and that is what leads to frustration, eventually either emerging in an argument or hurt feelings. God doesn't want this to be the way we live, so maybe we should consider how to avoid these relationship pitfalls. Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other. None of this going off and doing your own thing. And cultivate thankfulness. Let the Word of Christ—the Message—have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives. Instruct and direct one another using good common sense. And sing

God, you give true peace to people who depend on you, to those who trust in you. ( Isaiah 26:3 ERV ) We can often overlook the simple truth of God's peace in our lives, that is until it is disturbed by negative circumstances! Once the tough stuff comes into play in our lives, we sometimes freak out a bit because we don't know what to do - the going is getting tough, but we don't find ourselves as tough as might be needed to get going! The awesomeness of God's peace is that it is a gift - it isn't earned or somehow "acquired". It is truly given when and where we need it, but there are definitely forces working against us to keep us from experiencing the depth of that peace as much as he would like us to in giving it to us. The peace of God is different than finding peace with God. We find peace with God through Christ Jesus, accepting the finished work of the cross for our sinful nature, and then actively seeking to obey his Word. The peace of God comes as

I have not been to Buckingham Palace, but have seen those pictures of the finely dressed guards in the tall black hats, bright red uniforms, and standing at rigid attention.  It is said it is almost impossible to distract them or to get them to crack a smile, laugh, or pay attention to something you are doing right in front of them.  They stand at their post, guarding the Queen, or whoever is in residence.  They have a duty to perform, and it is said they perform it with the utmost of professionalism and dedication.  Rain or shine, they stand their post. I kind of liken this tenacity of commitment to the "post" of standing guard to what we can experience when the peace of God stands guard over our thoughts and feelings.  Rain or shine, good moments or the tough ones, his Spirit appoints "Peace" to stand guard.  With that kind of guard over our thoughts and feelings, we can stand assured that whatever we have need of in our lives, it will be provided - we need not w