The Plumbline

The unspiritual self, just as it is by nature, can’t receive the gifts of God’s Spirit. There’s no capacity for them. They seem like so much silliness. Spirit can be known only by spirit—God’s Spirit and our spirits in open communion. Spiritually alive, we have access to everything God’s Spirit is doing, and can’t be judged by unspiritual critics. Isaiah’s question, “Is there anyone around who knows God’s Spirit, anyone who knows what he is doing?” has been answered: Christ knows, and we have Christ’s Spirit. (I Corinthians 2:14-16 MSG) Try to receive and understand the gifts of God's Spirit apart from saying yes to Jesus and you will find yourself thinking they are kind of a 'crutch' or some form of 'spiritual bunk'. The gifts of God's Spirit are things like discernment to know the difference between truth and lies. There is this undeniable peace that rises up in the face of conflict and situations that should cause intense worry and deepening anxiety. We enjo...

If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. (Matthew 6:30-33 MSG) When I am out in the forests and come across a particularly beautiful patch of wildflowers, I find myself just caught up in their splendor. The multitude of color, moving in the gentle breeze, frequented by butterflies and bees alike just sets my mind to celebration mode. Most of those wildflowers would bloom, be utilized by insects and grazers alike, then die off without any human intervention at all. Yet the gr...