The Plumbline

This is God’s Message, the God who made earth, made it livable and lasting, known everywhere as God: ‘Call to me and I will answer you. I’ll tell you marvelous and wondrous things that you could never figure out on your own.’ (Jeremiah 33:2-3) Why does God, the one who made all things and knows all things, require us to ask for whatever it is we need or want? To be required to ask when he knows already seems kind of foolish on the surface, but if you stop to consider what "asking" entails, you may come to a revelation of the true purpose of asking. Asking requires us to humble ourselves, not to mention allowing for time to bring a clarification of our wants and needs. Have you ever sought one thing, only to find when you received it the "thing" did not do for you whatever you hoped it would? I realized just how much I didn't really need what I asked for - it was just something to "fill space" in my life, but that "space" really should hav...

I decided there is nothing better than to enjoy food and drink and to find satisfaction in work. Then I realized that these pleasures are from the hand of God. For who can eat or enjoy anything apart from him? God gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy to those who please him. (Ecclesiastes 2:24-26) Solomon was known to be one of the wisest men alive, yet he made decision after decision to follow every whim and fancy of his heart, all in the name of looking for 'meaning' in life. Many times, we go through life looking for 'meaning', but it is in the pursuit of wealth, fame, amassed things, relationships, and even our careers. After a while, pursuit after pursuit, all seem meaningless. What gives meaning to life? Could it be that this ONE relationship we have with Christ gives the most 'meaning' to our lives - making every pursuit we undertake 'meaningful' because he has orchestrated it? Even the pleasures of working hard at what you enjoy the most is somethin...

Are you a 'mistake maker'? Oscar Wilde reminds us, "Experience is simply the name we give our mistakes." If you are anything like me, you intend to do something one way, but when push comes to shove, you find yourself taking a few shortcuts here and there. You start well, but somehow end up with the end looking a bit different than you might have imagined - all because you took those shortcuts. God isn't going to send us to hell for our shortcuts, but he also doesn't want us to develop the habit of always seeking the easiest path in life. He wants to ensure we grow - learning as much as we can from those things that didn't end up exactly as we had hoped! Proverbs 19:2 tells us, "Enthusiasm without knowledge is no good; haste makes mistakes." To make mistakes is part of human nature. We might not want to admit it, but we make mistakes every day. When we repeat them day after day, we might just want to take some time to explore why we continue to m...

God loves all who hate evil, and those who love him he keeps safe, snatches them from the grip of the wicked. Light-seeds are planted in the souls of God’s people, joy-seeds are planted in good heart-soil. So, God’s people, shout praise to God, give thanks to our Holy God! (Psalm 97:10-12) What a joy it must be when God's people love him so much, they just cannot help but hating everything that is evil! When we draw so close to light, we cannot stand to live in darkness any longer. In love deeply with Jesus, or kind of on the sidelines of just not wanting to have much to do with him - the same fact remains: God's love is reaching out for you! When we respond to his reaching love, we are brought into places of communion with him never before imagined possible. Communion is really "common union" - it is the sharing in "common" of what each brings into the relationship. If you haven't figured this out yet - we don't bring much into this relationship ...

We cannot seek or attain health, wealth, learning, justice or kindness in general. Action is always specific, concrete, individualized, unique. (Benjamin Jowett) What "action" is God asking you to take right now? Chances are you could be struggling a bit with something God is asking, not really wanting to go the direction he has revealed, or just wanting a little more time before you do as he asks. It is not uncommon to have this reaction to God's request when that request seems harder than we imagined, but it doesn't make the request any less important for us to act upon.  What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? ... faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless. Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.” (James 2:14, 17-...

So watch your step, friends. Make sure there’s no evil unbelief lying around that will trip you up and throw you off course, diverting you from the living God. For as long as it’s still God’s Today, keep each other on your toes so sin doesn’t slow down your reflexes . If we can only keep our grip on the sure thing we started out with, we’re in this with Christ for the long haul. (Hebrews 3:12-14) If someone were to tell me to "watch my step" I suddenly become very cautious about where I find my footing. Some things are just harder than others; some might catch us a little unaware. Sometimes we might get a little bunged up along the way - but trust me, it usually is not because we lacked the warnings! We likely just didn't heed them! God's plan is not to trip us up or wear us out on the journey, but to bring us to our next destination "unscathed" and "safe"! Satan doesn't want heaven filled - he wants hell filled! He wants companions in his e...

Has anyone ever launched into the same cycle of events that landed them in the same exact spot they already occupied? We hear sin's call, and it is like we answer "do it again" - time and time again. Then we stand there scratching our heads wondering how we got the same results to a what we believed to be a new set of circumstances! Well, the answer is pretty obvious - we are "doomed" to repeat what we don't actually allow to be changed in our lives - not by our own effort, but by the grace and love of God! God rescued us from dead-end alleys and dark dungeons. He’s set us up in the kingdom of the Son he loves so much, the Son who got us out of the pit we were in, got rid of the sins we were doomed to keep repeating . (Colossians 1:13-14) As long as we are living by the "do it again" methodology, we are really doing nothing more than walking around a dead-end alley. What is at the end of an alley which "dead-ends"? A blockade of some so...

Worry weighs a person down;  an encouraging word cheers a person up. (Proverbs 12:25) How are encouraging words best used? In what circumstances do they matter the most? Who is best to bring those encouraging words into our lives? Is it possible the words of encouragement you are hearing are not always genuine? If you are worrying about those words, you are likely weighed down, feeling like you don't 'deserve' those words. Words of encouragement aren't to be given out so freely that someone doesn't think them genuine, but when they are needed most, they should be spoken the loudest! Encouragement might be to receive a boost that actually brings us back to life a bit, being bolstered by the words we hear, or to be spurred on in a certain direction. Regardless of the circumstances, there are times when we just need a bit of encouragement - either to continue on the course we are on, or to keep doing what we have been doing because it is 'working' to accomplish...

All the art of living lies in a fine mingling of letting go and holding on. (Havelock Ellis) We all must learn how to let go and hold on at almost the same time. If you have ever seen a baby learning to walk, you know the tiny fingers hold tightly to the edge of the couch with one hand, while the other is reaching out so desperate to take that first step toward something they desire. It is kind of like that for us as we follow Christ - we long for something different, just out of reach, but we are holding onto something so desperately that we won't let go in order to achieve that end.  Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy. (Ephesians 4:21-24) We 'hear' truth, want to really reach out and take hold o...

  Jesus said to all of them, “If people want to follow me, they must give up the things they want. They must be willing to give up their lives daily to follow me. Those who want to save their lives will give up true life. But those who give up their lives for me will have true life." (Luke 9:23-24) I think this verse frightens some people because they think this 'giving up things' is going to be way harder than it actually is. When Jesus tells us that we must be willing to give up our daily lives to follow him he isn't saying we never have fun again. He isn't implying there is no joy in living for him. In fact, he really brings more joy into our lives than anything we 'give up' could ever provide. There is a choice here - people 'want to follow' - they are actively choosing his will over theirs. What are some of the things we 'give up' when following Jesus? Some will automatically answer things like partying every Saturday with the homies, s...

Christ carried our sins in his body on the cross so we would stop living for sin and start living for what is right. And you are healed because of his wounds. (I Peter 2:24) We may not understand fully how one man can carry the sins of all mankind, but we can trust that Christ did just that. How can one do so much for so many? We know God's ways are not man's ways, so 'how' he did it isn't as important as 'why' he did it and 'who' he did it for. He took on the sins of all mankind because of his tremendous love for his creation - all mankind. Do we fully understand his love - no, but we can see what his love can do when a life is submitted to his care! He took our sins IN HIS BODY to the cross and he hung there in our place - affording a means by which judgment for each and every one of those sins could be dealt with once and for all. Our responsibility is to lay down our old selfish ways of thinking and acting, taking on a new way of living. That new...

Cherish all your happy moments; they make a fine cushion for old age. (Booth Tarkington)  We all have those moments that have just made an impact on us - times we will never forget. How many of us can say we have 'been' the moment? Good people - going about doing good actions - will be remembered as a blessing in this lifetime and in the long term. Why? Their lives made a positive impact. We want to be the kind of people who make a positive impact on those we are around. Good people will be remembered as a blessing, but evil people will soon be forgotten. (Proverbs 10:7) We might want all our actions to add up to making a positive impact, but we would be fooling ourselves to think ALL our actions actually will be remembered. Unfortunately, many times what gets remembered are the 'big' ones - those overt, out-there, bigger than life actions. God's plan isn't for the 'big' ones to be our hallmark, though. It is for the consistency of the small ones all add...

One day children were brought to Jesus in the hope that he would lay hands on them and pray over them. The disciples shooed them off. But Jesus intervened: “Let the children alone, don’t prevent them from coming to me. God’s kingdom is made up of people like these.” After laying hands on them, he left. (Matthew 19:13-15) Those who came to Jesus for his help sometimes had quite a difficult 'approach' to him. Whether we look at the heart of the parent toward the child who desperately needed healing, the people of status humbling themselves to seek the help they cannot find anywhere else, or the tenacity of friends willing to lay it all on the line for a friend, we see one common theme - they came without concern for the distance for the challenge of reaching him, called out to him for help, and cared enough about the need of the one they petitioned him to meet that they were willing to lay it all on the line. We need this kind of faith in approaching Jesus, my friends! The child...

It was Eisenhower who said, "We are going to have peace even if we have to fight for it." How ironic is it that we pursue peace, yet find it amid the battle? Some believe peace comes in the absence of 'warfare' or 'turmoil', but let's challenge that belief a little today. God's peace is available at all times - peace with mankind may take a bit of work on all our parts. Inner peace is amazing but living at peace with one another is pretty doggone awesome, too! How does this type of peace come about? By listening to God! I will listen to God the Lord. He has ordered peace for those who worship him. Love and truth belong to God’s people; goodness and peace will be theirs. (Psalm 85:8-10) How do we listen? Isn't listening done with more than our ears? Some may not think so, but we listen with our eyes, hearts, and minds. We see and we respond. We 'feel' and we reach out. We think upon and we act. Listening requires we 'hear' employ a g...

Form your purpose by asking for counsel, then carry it out using all the help you can get. (Proverbs 20:18) Most of us don't get up in the morning and set out aimlessly on our day. Even that cup of coffee you are drinking is made with purpose - you wanted it! Purpose can also be described as determination - being directed toward a certain point and then doggedly making every effort to get to that point. Our "purpose" is to be found in Christ - his life within us is to give meaning to our steps and a sense of determination to our actions. Some of us don't feel like we understand our purpose in life - having been shot down a few times when we tried to step out to do something or having believed for way too long that our actions don't matter or make a difference. We can come to Christ with our feelings of being "aimless" and "purposeless" - asking him to bring clarity, give us direction, and to bolster us for the journey ahead. We come to a p...

Mother Teresa reminds us, "If you can't feed a hundred people, then feed just one." Who is your 'one'? You might not realize it, but that 'one' could be sitting right next to you today. When our hearts are open to hear what God wants us to hear and see what he wants us to see, we might just realize there are more 'needs' unmet in that person's life than there are met. Could we be the one to meet even one of those needs? If we are willing to put our own life on hold for just a moment or two, I believe we can become the hands and feet of Christ in a world that is hurting, lost, and oftentimes feeling like the battle has left them our on their own.  Does your life in Christ give you strength? Does his love comfort you? Do we share together in the spirit? Do you have mercy and kindness? If so, make me very happy by having the same thoughts, sharing the same love, and having one mind and purpose. When you do things, do not let selfishness or pride b...

I don't know of anyone who starts out in family life having figured out how to make a relationship work, let alone how to raise kiddos that are emotionally healthy and well-adjusted. Somehow, we bumble through this 'family life', making the best of the relationship woes we are challenged with and doing the best we can with what we have right in front of us. The knowledge about how to build a solid family is something that God gives as we 'walk through' the various challenges we face.  It takes wisdom to have a good family, and it takes understanding to make it strong. It takes knowledge to fill a home with rare and beautiful treasures. Wise people have great power, and those with knowledge have great strength. (Proverbs 24:3-5) Those with knowledge - isn't that what we are lacking? We face a bump in the road within the relationship and then all of a sudden, we realize just how 'inept' we are at handling it. We wonder how we got where we are, not realizi...

The love of Christ controls us, because we know that One died for all, so all have died. Christ died for all so that those who live would not continue to live for themselves. He died for them and was raised from the dead so that they would live for him. (2 Corinthians 5:14-15) The love of Christ is supposed to compel us to live right - to make good choices and respond well to life's challenges. The truth about how most of us live is somewhere between that point and doing things on our own without much thought as to what Christ would want or do. We aren't living quite as close to sin's pull as we once were, but we haven't quite figured out how to get to the point where we are consistently seeking Christ's best for our lives. Don't be down on yourself - you are not alone in this struggle! You have many a traveling companion on that journey! Christ asks for us to lean into his love, but do we know what that really looks like? I think it means that we see incrementa...

The   Lord   sees everything you do,  and he watches where you go.  An evil man will be caught in his wicked ways;  the ropes of his sins will tie him up.  He will die because he does not control himself,  and he will be held captive by his foolishness. (Proverbs 5:21-23) If we think we are not being 'observed' in our folly, we might want to reconsider that belief because God misses nothing. The moment I said that some of us cringed, thinking about something we said, thought, or did in the past 24-48 hours, having hoped God didn't know about it. We all have those moments - wishing we hadn't acted the way we did, but knowing we somehow received grace and healing even after 'acting badly'. God's grace amazes me each and every time. We don't deserve it, but somehow it is right there for those of who call upon his name for it - not once, but each and every time. Evil men are indeed 'roped' by their sins - binding them to the guilt and shame of it. Th...

Careless words stab like a sword,  but wise words bring healing. (Proverbs 12:18)  Tennyson reminds us, "Words, like nature, half reveal and half conceal the soul within." There are words we speak that 'reveal' little bits and pieces of our inner thoughts and dreams. Equally important are those words we never 'reveal' - for they are the truest words that reveal the inner soul of a man, are they not? Most of us have learned to 'weigh' our words - considering if they should be spoken or not. There are times when we should have 'weighed' them a bit but didn't take the time. Those are words that might have revealed a bit more of ourselves than we wanted others to see. When those words have escaped our lips, it leaves us vulnerable - feeling a little 'naked' in the end.  We have all had those times when our words were just the right ones for the moment, but I daresay we have all had many moments when we 'emptied' a bit of our sou...

At times we all wonder why we are traveling a particular road. We cannot put our finger on why it is we are facing the challenging, and sometimes a little treacherous road we must cross. In those moments, we wonder if we made a wrong turn somewhere, or if this is the way life is supposed to be - potholes, narrow and sometimes hair-raising switchbacks, and climbs so hard you almost peter out on the way up. I guess I face those roads a little differently than some. Instead of wondering why I am on the road, I just ask! In fact, in time I come to discover something unique about every road I have traveled - I am not traveling it alone! I may have made a wrong turn - but I still don't travel alone. I have Jesus right alongside me no matter what road I am on and this one thing I know - I cannot "bail" - the road will be traveled! Keep and live out the entire commandment that I’m commanding you today so that you’ll live and prosper and enter and own the land that God prom...

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. So let’s keep focused on that goal, those of us who want everything God has for us. If any of you have something else in mind, something less than total commitment, God will clear your blurred vision—you’ll see it yet! Now that we’re on the right track, let’s stay on it. (Philippians 3:12-16) Dewey reminds us, "Arriving at one goal is the starting point to another." A life lived without goals, a target in mind, is kind of like being set adrift on the open sea - hoping for the best, but totally unprepared for the worst! When I have large projects in mind, I usually write out a 'pick list' of sorts - telling m...

Abraham Lincoln once said that 'tact is the ability to describe others as they see themselves.' If you are anything like me, the 'brutality' of that honesty can sometimes sting! I don't always see myself through the eyes of Jesus, although I should. There are times when I see myself through the eyes of others - giving into their harsh judgments about the way I am behaving. In school, that got me into a whole lot of trouble! I would do things contrary to what I knew to be right just because I wanted to be 'accepted' by the 'in crowd'. I did things I wasn't comfortable doing. I followed - they led. There is but one leader worth following - Christ. There is but one estimation of our worth and goodness that really matters - Christ's. None of us 'better' or 'worse' than the next person, but we sometimes think we are. It might just be time to see ourselves through the eyes of Jesus just a bit more - seeing ourselves through the eyes...

Albert Pike reminds us, "We have all the light we need - we just need to put it into practice." There are times we already know what to do, when to do it, or how to do it, but we just stand still, not doing anything. Why is that? It could be we just don't 'feel' it at the moment - causing just a bit of a delay or lag in our 'obedience' response. We have 'light', but light is meant to reveal and reflect. We must remember all steps toward God are good, but when light is given, it is meant to illuminate the steps we are to take - God provides 'plenty of light to live in' both now and in the future. Jesus once again addressed them: “I am the world’s Light. No one who follows me stumbles around in the darkness. I provide plenty of light to live in.” The Pharisees objected, “All we have is your word on this. We need more than this to go on.” Jesus replied, “You’re right that you only have my word. But you can depend on it being true . I know whe...

Life is a journey. When we stop, things don't go right. (Pope Francis) So if you’re serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. Don’t shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ—that’s where the action is. See things from his perspective. (Colossians 3:1-2) Act like it - a behavior change is required, is it not? When we embrace this life in Christ, there is to be evidence of having a life change. How is this change manifest? We embrace or pursue the things that were once foreign to us. In other words, we stop being so absorbed with the things of this world and we ask God for a change of focus. We want to be open to the things God is doing, but there are times we are so absorbed in the things going on around us in this world, we forget to get his perspective. All of this life with Christ is really defined by one w...

Of all possessions, a friend is most precious. (Herodotus) Now that we are set right with God by means of this sacrificial death, the consummate blood sacrifice, there is no longer a question of being at odds with God in any way. If, when we were at our worst, we were put on friendly terms with God by the sacrificial death of his Son, now that we’re at our best, just think of how our lives will expand and deepen by means of his resurrection life! Now that we have actually received this amazing friendship with God, we are no longer content to simply say it in plodding prose. We sing and shout our praises to God through Jesus, the Messiah! (Romans 5:9-11) I would say I am blessed to have a 'best friend', but throughout the years, I have been blessed to have many friends. Some stick closer than others, don't they? You are most fortunate if there is always at least one who is 'just there' through thick and thin. There is one friendship we can never neglect - that which ...

Give a little love to a child, and you get a great deal back. (John Ruskin) Discipline your children while you still have the chance; indulging them destroys them. (Proverbs 19:18) Proverbs reminds us that disciplining your children is really loving them: "A refusal to correct is a refusal to love; love your children by disciplining them." (Proverbs 13:24) How many parents today struggle with how to discipline their children. Back in my day, the sassy mouth, bad attitude, or occasional wrongdoing was dealt with by either taking away a privilege, getting a couple whacks on the backside, or being grounded. I knew the occasional need to restrict me, and even the occasional swat on the backside didn't mean my parents didn't love me. In fact, it was just the opposite - they cared enough about how I'd turn out that they took the steps to require the right respect for my elders, follow the rules set forth by those in a position of authority, and to always do my best. God...

What a God! His road stretches straight and smooth. Every God-direction is road-tested. Everyone who runs toward him makes it. (Psalm 18:30) I think some of us serve God for the "perks", while others of us are less concerned with those "perks". God doesn't want us more focused on the perks than we are on him. What makes the difference to him is that we bring the pieces of our lives to him and then allow him to put them together - sometimes with "perks" and other times just regular life, but secure! David outlines: God made my life complete when I placed all the pieces before him. When I got my act together, he gave me a fresh start. Now I’m alert to God’s ways; I don’t take God for granted. Every day I review the ways he works; I try not to miss a trick. I feel put back together, and I’m watching my step. God rewrote the text of my life when I opened the book of my heart to his eyes. (vs. 20-24) All the pieces of our lives - and for most of us there ar...

Never forget the three powerful resources you always have available to you: love, prayer, and forgiveness. (H. Jackson Brown, Jr.) “I’ve told you these things for a purpose: that my joy might be your joy, and your joy wholly mature. This is my command: Love one another the way I loved you. This is the very best way to love. Put your life on the line for your friends." (John15:13-14) The very best way to love - love like Christ loves you! Indeed, three powerful resources are available to all who are redeemed by the blood of Christ: Love, Prayer, and Forgiveness. Without prayer, we find it hard to love the unlovely. Without forgiveness, we find it hard to love anyone! What does a life on the line look like? If we were to consider the examples throughout scripture, we could find a few that stand out. We can take a lesson from each of them. David may not have been the tallest kid in the lot of his brothers, nor was he likely the strongest, most talented, or even the most appreciated. ...