The Plumbline

  Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in him! Make it as clear as you can to all you meet that you’re on their side, working with them and not against them. Help them see that the Master is about to arrive. He could show up any minute! (Philippians 4:4-5 MSG) We must never lose the joy in celebrating what God is doing and what he has done. Herein is the secret to seeing life through a different lens. When we turn our thoughts to what he has done, we have little time to focus on all the negatives our world offers us today. We won't spend as much time 'doomscrolling' through life because we will begin to see what we take in through our 'eye gate' really affects our perspective as we navigate our day. Make it as clear as you can that God is your Master - not your copilot, but the one who is actually directing the course of your day. Too many times, we treat Jesus like he is our copilot - sitting there 'just in case' we need him. We are unwilling to...

Watch the way you talk. Let nothing foul or dirty come out of your mouth. Say only what helps, each word a gift. (Ephesians 4:29 MSG) I wonder what would happen if we actually began treating each word as a gift. Things that get said have so much power - healing or hurt; freedom or bondage; trust or fear. We can be the instruments of grace with our words, or we can be the bearer of discouragement. Words are indeed the catalyst by which change can occur, but they can also be the anchor by which deeper discouragement and bondage happens. This is why we must guard our words and use them wisely - something that is extremely hard to do without the help of the Holy Spirit.  When I was in Bible College, one of my professors actually encouraged us to walk around one day, recording every interaction we had with others. We were to replay those words at the end of the day, listening carefully to the tone we used, how we responded to the ones we communicated with, and the specific words we use...