The Plumbline

I have a serious concern to bring up with you, my friends, using the authority of Jesus, our Master. I'll put it as urgently as I can: You must get along with each other. You must learn to be considerate of one another, cultivating a life in common. {I Corinthians 1:10} We are all living life in parallel to each other. It can get a little messy to live life in parallel to anyone else, but it is not exactly easy to live life running in opposite directions of each other! When we seek to live life in parallel, we are commanded to do a couple of things - be considerate of one another and cultivate the "parallel life" as deeply as possible. We have to become familiar with the life circumstances the other person is presently experiencing, as well as those which have already shaped their lives. I have not experienced the hatred and contempt for one's race, color, or creed as others may have experienced firsthand. Does this mean I cannot walk in parallel with those who are d...

You're blessed when you stay on course, walking steadily on the road revealed by  God .  You're blessed when you follow his directions,  doing your best to find him.   That's right—you don't go off on your own;  you walk straight along the road he set.  You,  God , prescribed the right way to live;  now you expect us to live it.  (Psalm 119:1-4 The Message) A few days ago, we looked at the meaning of the word "blessed".  Many might have been surprised to know that "blessed" carried meaning such as consecrated, set apart, sanctified, and supremely favored.  Words are rich in meaning - we just need to explore them to see what is "hidden" within.  The psalmist sought to set out a series of "life-instructions" within the 119th Psalm.  He begins with the lesson of learning to "walk".  He will end with the idea of where learning to walk actually gets us!  Today, we begin a venture into Psalm 119 - finding highli...