The Plumbline

So, my dear brothers and sisters, this is the point: You died to the power of the law when you died with Christ. And now you are united with the one who was raised from the dead. As a result, we can produce a harvest of good deeds for God. When we were controlled by our old nature, sinful desires were at work within us, and the law aroused these evil desires that produced a harvest of sinful deeds, resulting in death. But now we have been released from the law, for we died to it and are no longer captive to its power. Now we can serve God, not in the old way of obeying the letter of the law, but in the new way of living in the Spirit. (Romans 7:4-6 NLT) This is the point - when God puts things so plainly, it helps, doesn't it? You and I died to the influence of sin in our lives - it no longer drives us, but it is still there. The control has been broken, but the temptations still abound, don't they? Since we are united with Christ, we can lean into him when those temptations c...

All heaven will praise your great wonders, Lord; myriads of angels will praise you for your faithfulness. For who in all of heaven can compare with the Lord? What mightiest angel is anything like the Lord? The highest angelic powers stand in awe of God. He is far more awesome than all who surround his throne. O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies! Where is there anyone as mighty as you, O Lord? You are entirely faithful. (Psalm 89:5-8 NLT) Where is there anyone or anything as mighty as our God? Not only is he mighty - but he is also faithful beyond our wildest imaginings. We might dwell upon that a bit today, ruminating a bit on his faithfulness to each of us. If we recall his faithfulness time and time again, we begin to develop a 'habit' of praise and worship. We actually want to 'celebrate' his faithfulness - it comes forth in the natural discourse of our day. Myriads of angelic beings may surround his throne, but the most beautiful sound God ever hears is that of our voice ...