The Plumbline

Everybody walking away from the world’s ways is on the way to life, but the one who insists on holding on to his life just as it is ends up losing it. (Matthew 16:25 MSG) In other translations, this passage presents us with what seems to be a bit of an oxymoron: If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. (NLT) The more we attempt to 'hang on to' the way of living according to this world's standards, the further we get from living in close, intimate relationship with Jesus. Forsake those ways of living and draw closer to Jesus in every way. The desires or ambitions of this life here on earth are nothing compared to what Jesus has planned for those who are willing to lay those desires and ambitions at his feet. All our 'worldly attachments' may not seem like much at first, but if any of them interfere with developing a deep and intimate relationship with Jesus, they are hurting us. We form 'att...

Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose. Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. (Philippians 2:1-4 NLT) Are your hearts tender and compassionate? That might be a tough question for us to answer today because we can all say our hearts are 'tender' and 'compassionate' at least some of the time. The rub comes when we are asked if we act that way toward our enemies, those that irritate us, or 'get on our last nerve'. The other rub comes in that word 'act' - sometimes our tenderness and compassion can be nothing more than an 'act' put on to make us look go...