The Plumbline

  Depend on  God  and keep at it because in the  Lord   God  you have a sure thing. (Isaiah 26:4) I depend on my vehicle to get me places I want to go. I depend upon my washing machine to clean my clothes. I depend on my light switch to bring illumination to the room when I switch it on. There are tons of things you and I depend upon each and every day - some of them without even knowing we are depending upon them. My power went out this week, not once, but twice. That meant no air conditioning, no light, and no water dispensed in the refrigerator door. I am aware I have disclosed my dependence upon a few luxuries here, but trust me on this one - in Arizona you want air conditioning, you need water, and when it is dark outside, it is going to be even darker inside! The latest power outage was for several hours and in the middle of the day. We probably all count on this 'sure thing' called electricity to be flowing through those underground lines to our home...

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) I have had those moments when everything I want to understand just didn't make sense no matter how hard I try to make my brain focus on the matter. There are probably a whole lot of spiritual forces at work behind the matter - good ones, not just bad ones - making it a bit harder for me to fully get to the place of really understanding the matter at hand. Spirit can only be known by spirit - my spirit connecting with the Spirit of God brings clarit...

  “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 6:33) The more we 'strive' the less we 'rest'. The more we seek attention, the less we feel appreciated. The more we worry, the less peaceful we become. I guess the lesson here is that we reap as we sow - sow the good seed and reap the good harvest; sow the 'so-so' seed and the harvest will be less than stellar. As I drove through the countryside a few weeks back, I was taken aback by the ...