The Plumbline

So do you think we should continue sinning so that God will give us more and more grace? Of course not! Our old sinful life ended. It’s dead. So how can we continue living in sin? Did you forget that all of us became part of Christ Jesus when we were baptized? In our baptism we shared in his death. So when we were baptized, we were buried with Christ and took part in his death. And just as Christ was raised from death by the wonderful power of the Father, so we can now live a new life. (Romans 6:1-4) If you haven't realized it yet, we do 'continue to sin' even after we say yes to Jesus. There is still a struggle with temptation. We don't just magically 'stop sinning' - we must deal with the urges to do what is wrong when we know what is right. Good news is that we don't do it alone! We have Christ in us to help us with that very real struggle. Did you ever wonder what purpose water baptism plays in a person's life? If we are honest, some of us may have

Good people leave memories that bless us, but the wicked are soon forgotten. (Proverbs 10:7) Someone once said that history is nothing more than a bunch of collected memories. I think this might just be true. Memories are the things left behind - good or bad - that will live on in the lives of others. We don't control the memories another makes, but we can influence them with the way we live our lives. We might think all the memories we have formed over a lifetime don't amount to much but take another look at the moments that made those memories and I bet you will find they mattered! Good people leave memories that bless others. Learn to be a blessing to others and you will be creating all kinds of good memories that will live on long after you are no longer with those individuals. We might find a mixture of good, not so good, and in between memories have formed over the course of our lifetime. The ones you probably enjoy the most are the good ones. I remember the first time I

Riches and honor elude a great many - at least in terms of physical riches and human honor. God's children enjoy not only untold riches, some unmeasured by human eye or understanding, but also the honor of being welcomed into the Kingdom of God. Right standing with God himself is the most significant of honors one can receive, yet some will discount this 'honor' as they bypass each and every invitation they receive to be welcomed into that family. If they only knew just how much they'd receive they might not resist the invitation so much. Perhaps they need us to share the message time and time again, living out that 'message' in our daily lives, until one day they finally realize they need what we have found. I love those who love me, and those who look for me will find me. With me there are riches and honor. I have lasting wealth to give to you. What I give is better than fine gold. What I produce is better than pure silver. I lead people the right way—

The return we reap from generous actions is not always evident. (Francesco Guicciardini) Give freely, and you will profit. Help others, and you will gain more for yourself. (Proverbs11:25) The actions of sowing and reaping are well-established. The seed is put into the ground, the harvest is tended, then it is reaped, allowing for provision today and into the future. If the one sowing stopped sowing, would the harvest end? Eventually, for natural 'reseeding' occurs to some extent, but to yield a sustainable crop for generations to come, one must purposefully plant.  The purposeful actions of today will produce a harvest well into the future, but all that is sown must be tended. We might share the hope of the gospel, but are we always the ones to tend it? No, there is usually some 'tending' done by someone other than us - perhaps the Holy Spirit alone, or perhaps he will engage another who will refresh the soil of the heart time and time again until that 'seed of fai

With God’s power working in us, he can do much, much more than anything we can ask or think of. To him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus for all time, forever and ever. Amen. (Ephesians 3:20-21) Do you ask God for big things? Or do you play it safe and ask only for the things you are pretty confident he will provide? Don't be afraid to ask for the big things because we serve a BIG God who delights in revealing his love toward us. What we don't want to do is limit God in any way. We want to remain open to the 'power working in us' that will 'do much' if we allow him access, are obedient to what he asks, and trust him with our whole heart. In my youth I was a big dreamer. In fact, I was a bit of a daydreamer growing up. I'd drift off into thought about things way bigger than I could achieve right then, finding myself carried away in a world of imagined plans. It wasn't until I began to realize God has dreams for me that were being limited by the

Some people are just troublemakers. They are always thinking up some crooked plan and telling lies. They use secret signals to cheat people; they wink their eyes, shuffle their feet, and point a finger. They are always planning to do something bad. But they will be punished. Disaster will strike, and they will be destroyed. There will be no one to help them. (Proverbs 5:12-14) If you have ever had a troublemaker in your life, you know just how hard it can be to around them for any length of time. You just want to turn and run when you see them because you know nothing good is about to come of the encounter. Wisdom would suggest we avoid them entirely, but we all know it is impossible to never encounter them at all. So, what do we do when we encounter a troublemaker in our lives? If we want to learn how to deal with them, we need only look as far as Christ's example. Jesus was surrounded by members of the religious leadership, thinking they knew more than he did, always trying to fi

My son, pay attention to what I say. Listen closely to my words. Don’t let them out of your sight. Never stop thinking about them. These words are the secret of life and health to all who discover them. Above all, be careful what you think because your thoughts control your life. (Proverbs 4:20-23) When God asks us to pay attention it is just that he knows how easily we become distracted by other things or people. The 'loudest voice' or the 'shiniest image' gets our attention and before we know it, we are following the crowd and not him. I recently attended a large gathering and at the end of the event, huge crowds all marched out in no particular order, but with intent. I took particular notice of those who were trying to 'swim upstream', pushing past those who were intent on going one direction when they were committed to going the other. Sometimes our Christian walk can seem a bit like we are 'swimming upstream' while the crowds are swimming smoothly

Those who find wisdom are fortunate; they will be blessed when they gain understanding. Profit that comes from wisdom is better than silver and even the finest gold. Wisdom is worth more than fine jewels. Nothing you desire has more value. With her right hand, Wisdom offers long life—with the other hand, riches and honor. Wisdom will lead you to a life of joy and peace. Wisdom is like a life-giving tree to those who hold on to her; she is a blessing to those who keep her close. (Proverbs 3:12-18) It would not be wrong to think of wisdom as an application of knowledge obtained throughout some field of study, but God's wisdom isn't just book learning applied. If we are to understand God's wisdom, we are actually in need of the person of wisdom resident in our lives. Jesus is wisdom in the flesh. We need Jesus if we want God's wisdom. Our passage is saying that those who find Jesus are fortunate - they will be blessed when they gain his understanding.  We can search after

What God has said isn’t only alive and active! It is sharper than any double-edged sword. His word can cut through our spirits and souls and through our joints and marrow, until it discovers the desires and thoughts of our hearts. (Hebrews 4:12) There is a science to the "dissection" process of butchering meats - much like there must be a "science" to getting at the desires and thoughts of our hearts. God doesn't just go about "butchering" our mind, will, and emotions to get at those things which need to be revealed and separated. He has a skill in what he does and how he does it. He isn't going to yank and pull - creating a case of "tug-a-war" within - but he is going to gently "part" what is responsible for keeping those "deep crevices" of our lives hidden and bound up until they are exposed to his careful attention. Can a dead thing resist? All it takes for death to occur is the right opportunity and environment

Goodness makes a nation great, but sin is a shame to any people. (Proverbs 14:34) It is GOODNESS that makes a nation great again, not a man, a political party, or an office. It is the people who set their hearts right with Jesus, welcoming him into their lives, and living in such a manner so as to please God who make it great. No one in the past, nor in the future, whoever holds office is capable of filling hearts with goodness - the very ingredient that makes a country 'great'.  God changes the heart of a man or woman who welcomes him into their lives, giving him authority to rule and reign in place of their own pride or selfish will. Is it possible for other things or people to change a man's heart in the same way? I don't think it is, but it is possible to change a person's heart by leading someone into the pathway of sin simply with the use of misleading untruths.  This is why it is so important for us to observe God's actions, see what responses his Son had

Nothing can hide its evil as well as the human mind. It can be very sick, and no one really understands it. But I am the Lord, and I can look into a person’s heart. I can test a person’s mind... (Jeremiah 17:9-10) The human mind is a mystery to me. It can reason, helping me to figure out solutions to some things quite quickly. It can remember, bringing to memory things that brought me either pleasure or pain. It can imagine, giving me hope when I need it and dreams when I least expect them. If it is possible for my mind to 'hide its evil' from me, I definitely need God's help to uncover where that may actually occur! Our human mind is in need of some real 'overhaul' at times, isn't it? We have this uncanny ability to call things that aren't all that good for us 'okay' and resist the absolute need to expose those things in order to be rid of them once and for all. This is why we have such a significant problem with being 'tempted' at times. W

If words are but pictures of our thoughts, what picture are you painting? It is possible the picture painted would enthrall some, put off others, and not even faze the rest. It is quite possible the words we choose to speak, as well as the ones we choose to never speak, allow others to see 'into' our hearts. God wanted us to know his heart well, so he gave us his WORD to reveal it! My son, pay attention to what I say. Listen closely to my words. Don’t let them out of your sight. Never stop thinking about them. These words are the secret of life and health to all who discover them. Above all, be careful what you think because your thoughts control your life. (Proverbs 4:20-23) God tells us to pay attention to what he says because it reveals his inner thoughts, purposes, and power. Herein is the rub - we hear without really listening - not really coming to understand how he works, what he desires, or what is available to us in him. Maybe it is time we learn to put away or pull ou

 Love cures people - both the ones who give it and the ones who receive it. (Karl A. Menninger) I give you a new command: Love each other. You must love each other just as I loved you. All people will know that you are my followers if you love each other. (John 13:34-35) Some in this world crave love because they really haven't seen much love modeled in their lives - rejected, alone in most of their actions, drifting kind of aimlessly from one relationship to another, just hoping they will find 'whatever' it is they crave. Love isn't learned from the textbooks - it is modeled behavior. We can absolutely KNOW God loves us because he sent his son to 'model' the behaviors of love. His love has been in action since he created heaven and earth, but if we ever doubted his love, we only need to look to the actions of Jesus on our behalf, the actions of his Father in sending him to earth, and then the actions of the Father pronouncing sin's penalty has been paid onc

Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God. (Corrie Ten Boom) Trust the Lord completely, and don’t depend on your own knowledge. With every step you take, think about what he wants, and he will help you go the right way. (Proverbs 3:5-6) How well we know God will determine how well we are able to trust him when things are going a little 'willy-nilly' in our lives. We cannot develop trust in the moment - it is developed in the long haul. The more we put into this relationship with Jesus, getting to know him better and better with each passing day, the more we will trust him with 'willy-nilly' seems to be the agenda of the day. With every step we take, do we focus on what God wants, or what comes naturally or the easiest? If we are honest here, there are times when we are faced with the two choices, and we don't always choose wisely. For example, when a person drops some bomb on us, words meant to undo us or cause us to enter into an argument, do we foc

The Lord is not being slow in doing what he promised—the way some people understand slowness. But God is being patient with you. He doesn’t want anyone to be lost. He wants everyone to change their ways and stop sinning. (2 Peter 3:9) Is anyone else grateful for God's patience? I know I am! If he held every sin against me, even those committed AFTER I said yes to him, I'd be in a totally miserable place! How about you? Just because you said 'yes' to Jesus doesn't mean you stopped dealing with sin's desires and pulls in your life. In fact, like me, you probably have given in to some of those temptations on occasion. Just like me, you need God's patience and I sure hope you are as grateful for it as I am! On another note, when God delays his answer to us, how do we take that delay? If you are anything like me, you sometimes question if God even heard your cry for help, or request for something to be done in your life. Maybe you went ahead and did whatever it w

Michael W. Smith has recorded a song that hits home in my heart every time I hear it. It is entitled "Go West Young Man", and it pictures the age-old dilemma of 'blazing a trail' into sin's path. The words that speak to me the loudest: "When the evil go east, go west young man". A question is posed: "Why must I wander like a cloud, following the crowd", then the need we all have is presented in the words, "Well I don't know but I'm asking for the will to fight." We all need the 'will' to fight, don't we? To resist the desire to head 'east' when evil entices us, instead choosing to head 'west' right into the arms of Jesus.  The only temptations that you have are the same temptations that all people have. But you can trust God. He will not let you be tempted more than you can bear. But when you are tempted, God will also give you a way to escape that temptation. Then you will be able to endure it. (I

A man is called selfish not for pursuing his own good, but for neglecting his neighbor's. (Richard Whately) Forget about the wrong things people do to you. Don’t try to get even. Love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord. (Leviticus 19:18) Most of us can easily recall the last meal we prepared or purchased for ourselves. Many can recount the nice gifts they received on their birthday or anniversary. Others will bring to memory the nice things said about them at a celebration in their honor. How many of us can remember the last 'bad thing' done to us or said about us? God tells us to forget about the wrong things people do to us, but for some reason we hold onto those memories quite easily.  We might want to let go of whatever it is that has been 'done wrong' against us, but whenever we try to let go, we find ourselves drifting backward into our memory of the emotions attached to that 'event'. Maybe the amount of emotion attached to the event plays a par

No man ever got very high by pulling other people down. The intelligent merchant does not knock his competitors. The sensible worker does not knock those who work with him. Don't knock your friends. Don't knock your enemies. Don't knock yourself. (Alfred Lord Tennyson) “But I say to you people who are listening to me, love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. Ask God to bless the people who ask for bad things to happen to you. Pray for the people who are mean to you. If someone hits you on the side of your face, let them hit the other side too. If someone takes your coat, don’t stop them from taking your shirt too. Give to everyone who asks you for something. When someone takes something that is yours, don’t ask for it back. Do for others what you want them to do for you. (Luke 6:27-31) Are we really listening to Jesus? Most of us would admit we listen on occasion, more when things aren't going as we expected, but not as closely at other times. Why is that? We

Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up. (Thomas A. Edison) We must not get tired of doing good. We will receive our harvest of eternal life at the right time. We must not give up. (Galatians 6:9) It is easy to grow weary, much harder to regain momentum when we have been stagnant way too long! We will face trials - challenges beyond our 'natural' reasoning, ability, or strength. What we do when we stand face-to-face with those challenges makes all the difference! Will we turn and run? Will we stand up and fight in our own strength? Or will we turn to Christ for wisdom, renewal, and increased capacity? Sometimes we think the only thing we need when facing a hard challenge is to have more strength. More 'ability' to handle it. More 'intel' about the situation. The truth is that we might just need more capacity! Old wine skins were never meant to hold new wine. Why? As time passed, the new wine wou

Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness. (Desmond Tutu)  But those who trust in the Lord will become strong again. They will be like eagles that grow new feathers. They will run and not get weak. They will walk and not get tired. (Isaiah 40:31) As we walk throughout our day, weariness can come upon us after much toil and hard work, right? Did you know that we don't even need to toil to tire? Ever hear of a friend say they were more tired when they got out of bed than they were when they went to bed? Weariness is both a state of mind and body - it includes our spirit, soul, and all that makes us human. The 'strain' of life doesn't have to be physical - emotional strain can take more out of us than a hard day's labor. Sometimes we grow weary because we become dissatisfied with how long something is taking - like an answer to our prayers. Even the most 'balanced' individual can grow weary spiritually and emotionally. That is wh

I want to belong to him. In Christ I am right with God, but my being right does not come from following the law. It comes from God through faith. God uses my faith in Christ to make me right with him. All I want is to know Christ and the power that raised him from death. (Philippians 3:9-10) There is no other way to be 'made right' than through Christ Jesus. There is no other set of rules or 'belief system' we need to follow in order to 'gain righteousness'. With that said, why do we still try to 'be made right'? I observe those who have given their hearts to Jesus trying to 'earn' their way into heaven or some such thing, all through 'righteous actions', family traditions, and deeply rooted traditions of 'the church'. For some reason, Satan has been able to convince many that they need 'more' than Christ in order to be 'made right'. They strive without purpose because all God has purposed has been accomplished i

The heavens keep telling the wonders of God, and the skies declare what he has done. Each day informs the following day; each night announces to the next. They don’t speak a word, and there is never the sound of a voice. Yet their message reaches all the earth , and it travels around the world. In the heavens a tent is set up for the sun. It rises like a bridegroom and gets ready like a hero eager to run a race. It travels all the way across the sky. Nothing hides from its heat. (Psalm 19:1-6) We might be amazed with each sunrise, sunset, and the phases of the moon! Why? They are simply doing what they were designed to do - to keep telling the wonders of God and declaring boldly what he has done! They declare his creative power and his ability to sustain all things with nothing more than the sound of his voice! This should give us cause to pause for just a few moments to consider his greatness and to bask in his brilliance! When we think of the sun and the moon, we are to

'Keeping up with the Joneses' It is worth nothing for you to have the whole world if you yourself are lost. (Mark 8:36) There used to be a saying that implicated the "Joneses'" as having so much and everyone trying to keep up with them. While the saying may not be as popular today, the desire to 'keep up' is always around us in society. We are marketed the fastest internet, the most expansive cell and data plans, the best hotel accommodations, and the biggest houses with the most 'toys' to enjoy on the weekends. Regardless of the current 'trends', the root problem still is man's extreme 'pride'. We desire some of the 'worst' things for ourselves, all because someone else has it or is doing it. All the while, Jesus is just sitting there asking for us to take as much interest in him as we do in 'keeping up'! Did you realize that the phrase, "Keeping us with the Joneses" actually dates back to 1913? It has

Yes, it is God who is working in you. He helps you want to do what pleases him, and he gives you the power to do it. (Philippians 2:14) Like it or not, God is at work. Where? In you and in me. We aren't ever going to escape his work - he began his work in us when we said yes to him, and he will surely continue that work as long as we draw breath. Do we always appreciate or welcome his work within our lives? Not hardly! There are times we are just plain stubborn and don't want to have his 'interference'. We see what he is doing as 'bothersome' - mostly because his work is bringing conviction, and we don't like having our 'wrong choices' pointed out because we are prideful people. The more we resist his 'interference' in our lives, the longer we will deal with issues that only get us into other issues! It is God who actually helps us do what we don't want to do! Have you ever been in a place where you know the very thing you are about to do

Think about what we have in Christ: the encouragement he has brought us, the comfort of his love, our sharing in his Spirit, and the mercy and kindness he has shown us. If you enjoy these blessings, then do what will make my joy complete: Agree with each other and show your love for each other. Be united in your goals and in the way you think. In whatever you do, don’t let selfishness or pride be your guide. Be humble, and honor others more than yourselves. Don’t be interested only in your own life, but care about the lives of others too. (Philippians 2:1-4) What exactly do we have in Christ? If we stop for even a short period of time and consider this question, we will likely begin to list a few things that immediately come to mind. Consider it a bit longer and we will find there are things we didn't even realize we 'have' at our access because we have never tapped into them. Even though the blessings of God are upon our lives, we find there will be times when we are call

Sing to God! Sing praises to his name! Prepare the way for the one who rides on the clouds. His name is Yah. Worship before him with joy. God, who lives in his holy palace, is a father to orphans, and he takes care of widows. (Psalm 68:4-5) In most translations, YAH is seen as Yahweh or LORD. Whenever you see LORD in scripture, this is the name of God that describes him as the "I am". In observing God as the I AM, we are seeing the side of God that has always been, will always be. There is no beginning, nor any end to his existence. This is something our finite minds have a hard time with because everything around us has a beginning and will have an end at some point. Even when we think there might have been an 'emptiness' somewhere in times past, there never was because God was, is, and will always be! If we think of God as the I AM in our lives, we are really acknowledging that he created us, keeps us going throughout this lifetime, and has prepared an even greater

He has made you able to have what he has promised to give all his holy people, who live in the light. God made us free from the power of darkness. And he brought us into the kingdom of his dear Son. The Son paid the price to make us free. In him we have forgiveness of our sins. (Colossians 1:12-14) Four important lessons for us this morning stem from what God HAS done on our behalf. We must recognize them as finished works. God doesn't do anything half-way. Whatever he begins, he also takes on to full completion.   1) God HAS made us able. We are able to live holy lives because he is the one who is doing the enabling. If we think we do this on our own, we are going to be trying for a long, long time to get this right! He enables us to have and enjoy all the promises he has made - nothing promised will ever be outside of our reach because he enables us to grasp all of them. 2) God HAS made us free. We no longer need to walk in the darkness of our sin, nor the corruption of this

If someone were to give you guidance on how you are to live this Christian lifestyle, what do you imagine it might be? Wouldn't it be nice to be completely sure that we were living as we should, making the right decisions, staying on track and not getting waylaid by Satan's schemes? Paul prayed for those who were believers in the region of Colosse that they'd have this ability, and this prayer applies to all believers worldwide today: This is what we pray: that God will make you completely sure of what he wants by giving you all the wisdom and spiritual understanding you need; that this will help you live in a way that brings honor to the Lord and pleases him in every way; that your life will produce good works of every kind and that you will grow in your knowledge of God; that God will strengthen you with his own great power, so that you will be patient and not give up when troubles come. (Colossians 1:9-11) Completely sure of what God wants for our lives. That is our goa

The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings. (Eric Hoffer) Great blessings belong to those who know they are spiritually in need. God’s kingdom belongs to them. (Matthew 5:3) Schoolwork came easy for me until I reached that upper-level math referred to as calculus. Algebra, Geometry, and even Trigonometry was fine, but when I got to that calculus level, my head just couldn't wrap itself around it. There is just some 'math' that is harder to grasp than others, I guess. The one 'math' I have been trying to grasp more and more is the 'math' of counting my blessings. How about you? Are you aware of the blessings God brings your way each day? Some will escape your notice - that is a given. They are the 'less obvious' ones and maybe even the ones we just take for granted. The more obvious ones are easiest for us to recall, aren't they? God's blessings are there - we might just need to learn how to 'count'

I have learned the secret of how to live through any kind of situation—when I have enough to eat or when I am hungry, when I have everything I need or when I have nothing. Christ is the one who gives me the strength I need to do whatever I must do. (Philippians 4:12-13) Most of us live in such a way that we have all of what we need, even though we might be wanting much more than we have. Some might actually live with more than they need. What Paul learned was contentment in lean times and in times of great advantage. He developed a 'consistency of heart' - something we all would do well to learn sooner than later. Christ is the one who gives that consistency of heart, but we have to be open to receive what he gives when he gives it. Maybe consistency really comes when we learn to be open to receiving whatever it is he has for us. Christ gives us the strength to do whatever we must do - in good times, or bad, in lean times, or times of tremendous blessing beyond measure. Leanin

 And because you belong to Christ Jesus, God’s peace will stand guard over all your thoughts and feelings. His peace can do this far better than our human minds.(Philippians 4:7) Those who belong - do you 'belong'? Some perceive 'belonging' as having the 'proper credentials', such as when you 'belong' to the country club in your local town and can get the benefits of that 'membership'. Others might think of 'belonging' as 'being properly placed' - having a specific purpose in what you do somewhere for someone. The oldest meaning of this world indicated a certain 'dependence' upon one another or someone with a 'greater position' than you had. If we think of 'belonging' to Christ as 'having a relationship' with one who holds a 'superior position', we might just be a little closer to how this word is used in scripture. To 'belong' to Christ suggests a relationship of willing service to