The Imaginary Line

The Imaginary Line

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Today’s Scripture: Matthew 6:24

“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. 

Word of Ministry

We see a definite dichotomy between living in the world and living in the Lord. One must either choose to live a life in service to God or a life debasing oneself to what the world offers. In direct contrast to this is the phrase, “What you do is OK, just as long as you don’t cross the line.” This thinking, unfortunately, pervades Christian thought and attitude today.

Valuable time of growing deep in the Lord is wasted on debating where the “proverbial line” is between the world and Christ. There could be 30 people sitting in the church and I’ll guarantee you that the line will be in 30 different places. At the end of the day we have to face the reality that there is no line. We see this throughout the Bible. Even Jesus said that it’s either one or the other in today’s verse.

We make decisions about life based on a line that isn’t even there. We use that line to rationalize compromising and potentially sinful decisions. By rationalizing, we fool ourselves into arrogantly believing that God has to accommodate our rationalizations. If we have to question it, then we shouldn’t do it.

Always err on the side of righteousness. Always! It is of the utmost importance that we grasp this concept so that we may continue growing in the Lord rather than being stifled by trivial questions about how far is too far. It’s that spiritual laziness that causes us not to make the effort to both make and carry out godly decisions. It is in this way that we, by our works, deny Him.

As Brennan Manning states:

“The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today are Christians, who acknowledge Jesus with their lips, and walk out the door, and deny Him with their life style.”

That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.

How are you going to erase the imaginary line you have made for yourself today?

Stepping Beyond Your Belief

Stepping Beyond Your Belief

“Unless there is a still center in the middle of the storm, unless a person in the midst of all their activities preserves the secret room in their heart where they stand alone before God, unless we do this we will lose all sense of spiritual direction and be torn to pieces.” —Anonymous Fourth Century desert monk

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Belief doesn't automatically cause life-change. That's probably one of the biggest hiccups in evangelicalism today: We think that if we know something in our heads, we’re automatically going to act on it. Not the case. That’s why there are so many believers stuck on the log of fleshly living. We have to step beyond belief in the brain only. We need to be willing to take a faith step by counting on it in our souls.

Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with Him… In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. …offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to Him as instruments of righteousness. —Romans 6:8, 11, 13 (emphasis mine)

The word count means to “mark it down,” to “reckon it as right,” to “make an account of it.” It is what an accountant does when he is keeping his books. Writing it down doesn't make it true; it is true, so he writes it down. It is true that we are dead to sin but alive to Christ, count it! This is the great bridge between belief and application—it's where we begin to personally own truth and begin to count on it as we face battles in the real world.


Are you a minister trying to flesh out a life of service and sacrifice for your congregation?

Are you a single adult constantly desiring and constantly being pressured sexually?

Are you a teenager trying to "just say no" to drugs and alcohol?

Are you a parent desperately trying to control your tongue with your kids?

Take a little advice from the desert monk: find a quiet space in the midst of your storm, right now, where you can stand alone with God and embrace the Truth of His Spirit in you. Then, count on Him to make that truth a reality.

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PRAYER: Holy God, I am counting on the truth that, in Christ, I am dead to sin and alive to You. I lay before You the temptations that I am facing today. Because I am alive in You, I count on the fact that I am dead to these things! I freely turn away from them now. By the power of Your Spirit in my spirit, lead me in the Holy, everlasting way! Amen