The Plumbline

12-14 I'm not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don't get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back. (Philippians 3:12-14) You have probably heard it said that the only constant thing in life is change.  There is much truth to that idea - change is inevitable - one way or another.  I looked up the definition of change in the dictionary and this is what I found - to make the form, nature, content, or future course of something/someone different from what it is or from what it would be if left alone.  Consider what we would be like if we were left alone.  What would the content of our life be like if Jesus was not an active part of the change we experience in our life?  What would the course of o...

11-18 Every priest goes to work at the altar each day, offers the same old sacrifices year in, year out, and never makes a dent in the sin problem. As a priest, Christ made a single sacrifice for sins, and that was it! Then he sat down right beside God and waited for his enemies to cave in. It was a perfect sacrifice by a perfect person to perfect some very imperfect people. By that single offering, he did everything that needed to be done for everyone who takes part in the purifying process...once sins are taken care of for good, there's no longer any need to offer sacrifices for them. (Hebrews 10:11-18) In the Old Testament, we find a "system" of sacrifices designed to point us toward the atoning sacrifice of Christ - a one time sacrifice that accomplished atonement for sin like no other sacrifice was possible of doing.  In the Book of Hebrews, Jesus is presented to us as our "High Priest" - as the one who offered the perfect sacrifice.  That perfect sacrific...

18  If people can't see what God is doing, they stumble all over themselves; But when they attend to what he reveals, they are most blessed.  (Proverbs 29:18  The Message Bible) This same passage can be translated: " Where there is no revelation, people cast off restraint;   but blessed is the one who heeds wisdom’s instruction."  (NIV)  The idea is that we are often people that seem to require being "in the know" as it applies to what is coming next in our lives.  As we well know, this seldom happens.  W e plan and prepare, but often the best of plans becomes nonsensical when dealing with the things that present themselves at our doorstep demanding our attention and energies.  This passage considers the idea of "revelation".  For us to understand the passage, we must understand that word. First, revelation carries the idea of disclosing something that had otherwise or previously been hidden.  It is common in church cir...