The Plumbline

Have some of you noticed that we are not yet perfect? (No great surprise, right?) And are you ready to make the accusation that since people like me, who go through Christ in order to get things right with God, aren’t perfectly virtuous, Christ must therefore be an accessory to sin? The accusation is frivolous. If I was “trying to be good,” I would be rebuilding the same old barn that I tore down. I would be acting as a pretender. (Galatians 2:17-18 MSG) We are not yet perfect. Man, that is certainly true on my account! I do a decent job at 'doing the right thing' most of the time, but ALL of the time - nope. I slip up on occasion - say things I shouldn't, think things I know better than to be thinking, make judgments based on what I see or think I know, and the list could go on. The point is that we ALL are not yet perfect - none of us has it all together or is without sin. Even those religious leaders who wanted to stone the woman caught in adultery couldn't throw th...

As long as I’m alive in this body, there is good work for me to do. If I had to choose right now, I hardly know which I’d choose. Hard choice! The desire to break camp here and be with Christ is powerful. Some days I can think of nothing better. But most days, because of what you are going through, I am sure that it’s better for me to stick it out here. So I plan to be around awhile, companion to you as your growth and joy in this life of trusting God continues. You can start looking forward to a great reunion when I come visit you again. We’ll be praising Christ, enjoying each other. (Philippians 1:22-26 MSG) If you are still breathing in and out on this planet earth, there is still so much for you to be doing for Christ. You can spread his Word. You could gather the children in the neighborhood and give them a safe place to play and learn. You might even find yourself taking an elderly friend to the grocer each week to get the necessities. Whatever way God chooses to use you - be us...