There is a Line
This line is the same line for every person on earth. It’s been the same line for every person who has ever lived. Every grave you walk past holds the remains of someone who lived with the line. Every baby you hold lives with and will come to know — the line.
Sunrise and sunset mark the line between day and night. But this line is present 24/7 on every continent, in every country, for the wealthy and poor, the healthy and ill. There is no escaping the reality of the line, but we people have an innate ability to ignore it.
Some live like there is no line. We see it in the lives of those who have no care for budgeting their finances or managing their caloric intake or moral limits. But regardless of whether we live cognizant of the line or not, it is still there. Ignored perhaps, but definitely, powerfully, overwhelmingly present.
We people have an odd sort of love affair with “lines” in the world of sports. Billions of dollars are spent every year for the love of a sport that has a line of scrimmage, a foul line, a finish line, a goal line. We cheer like maniacs for our team to cross the line, score the points and win the game. If there were no lines, the game would be a swirl of confused players carrying the ball no where. We even pay referees to manage the rules at — the line.
Think about the plethora of lines we live with. Most are invisible, some are easily seen. Just play with it in your thoughts for a moment.
The shore line — you behave one way on the dry sandy side, you behave another way on the watery wave-tossed side.
The atmospheric line — you can breathe on one side of it as gravity holds you in place, but you free float and suffocate on the other side of that line.
The territorial line of wild animals — you watch in amazement from a safe distance, you are mauled if you cross their unmarked line.
The relational line — you are accepted and well received as you honor and respect another’s space, you are rejected and avoided if you disrespect and ignore their boundaries.
The financial line — you are able to purchase what is needed when you balance intake and outflow of assets, you lose all when you don’t.
The property line — there are markers at the corners of property with unseen lines connecting them. No trespassing signs warn others to stay on their side of the property line.
The bloodline — with a drop of blood your heritage can be traced. You are not exactly like any other person, your blood is a sort of map of who you are and where you came from. No one can be you.
On and on the world of lines can be explored. But this writing longs to focus on a line that is of paramount importance. This most serious of lines is so often hidden under a veil of cloud-cover named distraction. A shroud of intimidation warns many to keep their distance from it; a mysterious threat seems to loom as this line is exposed.
It is the line between good and evil. Right and wrong. Spiritual life and spiritual death. The line between where God is at work and where satan lies.
This is the line that never sleeps, never takes a lunch break, never rests, and never stops pressing one way or the other.
GOD knows this line. Jesus put His toe to it. When Jesus hung on the cross and gave His life to pay for our sins — the cross was placed powerfully on the line. Satan thought he had taken the territory when Jesus breathed his last and spoke the words, “It is finished”. Scripture says the skies became dark, the earth quaked, the world trembled as the battle at the line was raging. No one knows exactly what happened in the spirit realm during the three days Jesus lay in the tomb. But we know He was not silent, napping, resting. He was intensely at work ON THE LINE — because when he rose from the dead and walked out of the grave, satan knew he had been soundly defeated. The cross is the marker of God’s victory on the line. Satan can not outmaneuver what Jesus did in obedience to The Father. It happened at the line.
We do not have to gain victory at the line by hanging on a cross. Jesus did it. But in the living out of our lives, we find that other things in us must “die” so that we can do what is needed at the line. So we can join in the work of pushing-the-good-line-forward for the glory of God and the work of the Kingdom. The Holy Spirit guides us carefully in the space closest to the line. He is the counselor, guide, grower of our souls. He shows us the baggage in our lives that we need to offload, he knows what weighs us down and keeps us from running the race, taking the field, following our marching orders, and standing our ground at the good line.
God is always working on the good side of the good line.
Jesus has clearly defined the good line and eternally owns it.
Holy Spirit guides us as we approach our work at the line and He actively pursues those trembling on the dark side of the line who are longing to escape the darkness and cross over into the light.
And we — you and I — where are we in this story? What are we doing?
Do we truly recognize THE LINE? Do we realize we are called to toe the line and move goodness forward? What distracts us from this work that will impact eternity? Do we live in a box or do we live remembering the line?
Whether we remember it or not, whether we think on it or not, whether we want to or not — it does not remove the line.
There is a “ball” of goodness, a light of Truth, the gift of salvation that is always found on the good side of the line, laying right at the line… it is needed on the dark side of the line… those who have known only the darkness have no grasp of the goodness… but they need it more than they need the air they are breathing. Their soul aches under the weight of darkness.
The enemy of God is “just there” across that line. His territory is evil and destructive. He works to shroud the line with darkness. He destroys any maps that lead to the other side. He schemes to steal from the good side. He’s constantly at work lying, confusing, feeding doubt, and invading.
And where are we?
Our Triune God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) are always and ever at the line working to save and rescue, heal and redeem. They do battle still even though the ultimate battle has been won. Jesus did it on the cross and He walked out of the tomb.
We are not called to battle the enemy of God.
We are called to stand as close to God as we can get, holding His Robes, loving others, living the truth, with a shield in one hand and sword (His Word) in the other. Armor on, eyes set on Him, praying, focused.
Where are we my friend? The line is there, where are we?
