The Plumbline

Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy. (Ephesians 4:21-24) The old sinful nature is just a 'snag' waiting to trip us up if we don't cast it off once and for all. We need to let go of our past, including the desires and lusts of that way of life, and lay hold of this new way of living. Once we determine to do that, we will make strides in our Christian walk. The 'limping around' old lifestyle is done with - we now walk upright, strong, and with purpose like never before.  We put off the old nature - all its ways - and put on the new one Christ gives us. We cannot expect change if we don't get up and walk away from whatever it was that held us bound in our past. As long as we hold onto the ...

So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family. Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. Through him you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit. (Ephesians 2:19-22) If you have ever been somewhere in the midst of a crowd of people but find yourself feeling very 'alone' even in the midst of the crowd, you are not alone. There are times when we feel like strangers even among those we know pretty well. You might call it an 'emotional funk' or even an 'odd feeling', but whatever you call it, you don't feel like you 'belong' at that moment. Now, imagine living life like that all the time. Wouldn't that be horrible to go through life feeling like y...