The Plumbline

Owe nothing to anyone—except for your obligation to love one another. If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill the requirements of God’s law. (Romans 13:8 NLT) What debt do you carry today? Is it a financial one? A spiritual one? A relational one? Maybe all three apply to you today - but the greatest 'debt' we owe is love. We are loved so much by our heavenly father and all he asks of us is to return that love by loving others - even the unlovable! You might have heard it said that we can hate the sin but love the sinner. This is true, of course, but how many times do we equate the sinner and the sin as 'one'? We see the sin and then reject the sinner in due course. This is just the opposite of what God did. He saw the sinner, hated the sin, but loved the sinner enough to make a way for the sinner to be made holy through the blood of Jesus. Love didn't overlook the sin. Because of the blood sacrifice of Jesus, the sinner is now without sin. The love of God made ...

A life is not important except in the impact it has on others. (Jackie Robinson) Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior.  Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you. (Ephesians 4:31-32 NLT) The impact of our lives may best be seen in the kindness we show others - in the expression of love we give to others or bring into situations where hurt and harm have been prevalent. Let's be honest here - there are a whole lot of harmful and hurtful things happening around us each and every day. We might be right smack dab in the middle, or we could be observers on the sidelines. Either way, we have the opportunity to bring God's love into that situation by being examples of his tenderhearted kindness and love. Where bitterness abounds, you might just see anger, harsh words, or even hurtful lies being spread. The root of bitterness combined with one's ...