The Plumbline

Charm and grace are deceptive, and superficial beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord reverently worshiping, obeying, serving, and trusting Him with awe-filled respect, she shall be praised. (Proverbs 31:30 Amplified Bible) I know so much emphasis is placed on physical beauty these days. There are all kinds of ways to be 'fit' and 'trim'. The media hypes it. The billboards put it out there in larger-than-life fashion. The fitness studios promote it. All that is 'beautiful' is not outward - true beauty begins in the heart. A heart desperately in love with Jesus, devoted to serving him, is truthfully the most beautiful thing I have ever observed. Superficial beauty is one thing - inward beauty is quite differently displayed. How many hours a day does it take to 'put on your face' for the world to see? The only 'face' that really matters is the one that reflects the heart! That heart 'reverently worships' her Lord and Savior. There i...

The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God. God has made the wisdom of this world look foolish. Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe. (I Corinthians 1:18, 20-21) Human wisdom only goes so far. Divine wisdom gets beneath the surface to see the crux or intention of that which is being considered. If God had relied upon human wisdom to share the message of hope that is inherent in the cross and resurrection of Christ, we'd still be trying to analyze it and find ways to poke holes in the 'theory' of the cross. Oh, wait...we ARE still debating the validity of Jesus' birth, death, and resurrection, aren't we? Human minds will never be able to comprehend the fully divine side of Jesus coming to this earth, taking on human form, and then being the perfect sacrifice fo...

Living in accord with God's will is sometimes made all the harder when we are living in relationships with others on this earth, is it not? We find varying 'opinions' on how things should be done, who should do them, when they should be done. All the while, we say we live in unity, but deep down, are we in opposition to the will of God in our lives? It might be so if we find ourselves unwilling to align our actions with those God has asked of us or being unwilling to forgive someone who has offended us by some slight they have committed. God's plan is for us to align our actions and our relationships with him - not choosing to go our own way, following our own 'opinion' on matters. I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose. (I Corinthians 1:10) The Roman historian Sallust said, "Harm...

For we don’t live for ourselves or die for ourselves. If we live, it’s to honor the Lord. And if we die, it’s to honor the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. (Romans 14:7-8) Too many people think they live to do what they want, when they want, with whatever they want, all the while neglecting to see how their actions will affect others. God's words to us are to be continually aware of how our behavior affects those around us - they might not understand our 'liberty' in Christ, or they might fall into some temptation because of some weakness in their own character that is 'spurred on' by our behavior. Either way, we owe it to each other to be aware of how our actions will always affect others. Paul was speaking to the church at Rome in this passage, but these words come after a long discussion as to what foods were 'okay' to eat, which 'holy day' was the 'right one', and similar types of issues. You see, the early church ...

Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires. (Romans 13:14) Don't let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires. If you recall, an earlier post defined evil as that which opposes God's will or his holy nature. There are small things we likely 'indulge' ourselves in or with that really don't strike us as 'evil', but if they are against God's will for us, or in opposition to his holy nature, then the indulgence is perhaps not the best thing for us to be pursuing. Man needs no encouragement to sin - it is in our nature. We do need a whole lot of encouragement to live above evil, continually moving away from evil desires, don't we? How is this accomplished? Clothe yourself with the presence of Jesus. That may seem a bit too 'simple' or superficial to some but hear me out on this one. If we make Jesus the 'true center' of our lives,...

Throughout history, it has been the inaction of those who could have acted; the indifference of those who should have known better; the silence of the voice of justice when it mattered most; that has made it possible for evil to triumph. (Haile Selassie)  Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good. (Romans 12:21) I cannot say for sure, but there are times when I believe we ALL let evil get the upper hand in our lives, wishing for the best outcome possible, but then allowing our thoughts to turn where they shouldn't, our eyes taking in what they probably didn't want to really see. The moment we give any inroad to evil in our lives, the influence of that moment can create a 'highway' for evil influence to continue to travel until we allow God to shut it down once and for all. We may not see the harm in not shutting it down with immediacy ourselves, but God knows the harm that will come when even the slightest path is allowed to remain. To put this plainly,...

  Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all! (Romans 12:16) I would like to think that 'ordinary people' are easy to get along with - because fame and fortune hasn't corrupted their lifestyle choices. The truth is that ordinary people can be just as difficult to get along with at times. It is harder than we might think to live in harmony with one another. Harmony comes from an old Latin word meaning 'joining' or 'concord'. That 'agreement' or 'concord' between groups of people isn't always all that easy, especially when we form our own set of ideas, have our own desires, and create our own set of 'issues' that have to be dealt with. Yet, all throughout scripture, we are asked to live at peace with each other, finding 'harmony' or 'agreement' within our communities. Trust me on this one, community breeds lots of things that really don...

Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. (James 5:16) There is something so fearful, yet so powerful, about sharing one's hurts and hang-ups with another. We dread it, wondering what they will think if they know the 'true you', all the while just wanting someone to pray for us, lifting us before the throne of God until the thing that has a hold on us is finally and completely broken. The command is simple - listen to one another, pray for one another, be earnest in your requests, and then see God's power produce wonderful results. The action of confessing our need is often a bit more complicated - all because we complicate it in our minds and emotions! We might not realize how easily our issues could be resolved if we would just confide in another. Their experiences may not be identical to ours, but they may have worked through other issues...

Better remain silent, better not even think, if you are not prepared to act. (Annie Besant) “What is more pleasing to the Lord: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams. Rebellion is as sinful as witchcraft, and stubbornness as bad as worshiping idols." (I Samuel 15:22-23) We can remain silent, refusing to take action when we know it is necessary, but what does that gain us? If you haven't figured that one out yet, let me just let you in on a little secret - it will get you another 'go round' in the same muddy mire until you do act! Inaction may not be out and out rebellion, but it certainly isn't obedience, is it? If we want to live lives that please God, we will act when he asks us to act, if not with immediacy, at least in rather short order. Sometimes inaction is just outright rebellion, though. We know how to act, see the need to act, a...

Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land. (2 Chronicles 7:14) Pope Francis was quoted as saying, "Every man, every woman who has to take up the service of government, must ask themselves two questions: 'Do I love my people in order to serve them better? Am I humble and do I listen to everybody, to diverse opinions in order to choose the best path?' If you don't ask those questions, your governance will not be good." The only thing I would add to this is, "Do I listen to God above all others, seeking his will and not my own?" I believe the hallmarks of a great leader are more than the ability to make money or be famous for this or that action. The hallmarks of a great leader and therefore, a great nation, are humility, a willingness to serve others, intentional time with God, listening to his voic...

Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. (Romans 12:9-10) It is easy to put on a 'mask' and 'pretend' to be one way when everything inside of you is crying out to be a different way, isn't it? Don't believe me? How many times has someone asked you how you were, only to receive the 'pat answer', "Fine, and you?" The moment they ask, we 'mask' our real condition of spirit, soul, or body, don't we? We have aches and pains, but we don't declare that. We have doubts and worries, but we don't put those out there. We just go along with the flow and declare that we are 'fine'. Whatever that means anyway! It is impossible to 'pretend' to love one another, though. The genuineness of that love will come through, as will the ingenuine!  Genuine love is something we learn at the ...

And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him. And since we know he hears us when we make our requests, we also know that he will give us what we ask for. (I John 5:14-15) I have had a tough time asking God for his intervention on occasion, all because I wasn't too certain he would 'want' to grant my request, or that in the scheme of things, it was all that important to 'bother him' with. What a silly gal I was! Thinking God didn't care about stuff because it was 'insignificant' or a mere 'want' or 'wish'. God isn't put off by our requests - especially when he knows our heart, understands our desires, and has our best interests in mind. Does that mean we will always receive things the way we ask for them, in the timing we ask for them to occur, or in the 'proportions' we are seeking? Not always! The key is that we ask for his intervention. Then we wait for his timing and plan to be accomp...

Forgiveness is a funny thing. It warms the heart and cools the sting. (William Arthur Ward) Love prospers when a fault is forgiven, but dwelling on it separates close friends. (Proverbs 17:9) Too many times, we hold onto things we should let go of and let go of things we should have held tight to. We don't realize just how much those things we should have let go of instead of latching onto them have really added a weight to our lives. For a long, long time, others tried to tell me unforgiveness, resentment, and bitterness were hurting me, but they did very little, if anything to hurt the other individual. At a certain point, God spoke into my spirit, and he encouraged me to set myself free by letting the one's I held in that place of unforgiveness be free. It seemed counter to what I expected - God telling me I could be free by letting them be free. Holding them captive in a place of unforgiveness in my heart and mind was not bringing them hardship - it was bringing it to me, d...

 Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ. (Ephesians 4:11-13) If you have been in church circles for any length of time, you have probably heard the term 'the five-fold ministry' of the church at least once or twice. Christ gave particular instructions as to how his body of believers would operate. The purpose of the five-fold ministry is really quite simple - to equip his people to do his work and build up the believers into a unified body of faith-filled, fully equipped disciples. The apostles are sent out to establish new churches - helping plant new churches wherever they are called. The prophets are list...

If you have ever played the game of hide and seek, you know that someone tries to hide so well that others will not be able to find their hiding spot. As I get a little older, I put things away, thinking I have done so very carefully, only to discover I forget where I have so carefully put those things! It is as though they don't want to be found! Sometimes people 'hide' so as not to be 'found'. At others, they don't even know they have been 'hidden' away for so long, all the while not even realizing someone is searching for them. Do they want to be 'found'? I suspect that deep down they may not, but that doesn't keep God from seeing their need or seeking their heart. And later Isaiah spoke boldly for God, saying, “I was found by people who were not looking for me. I showed myself to those who were not asking for me.” (Romans 10:20) God 'finds' those who don't even know they have become lost. He seeks those who have no way of rea...

If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved. As the Scriptures tell us, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.” (Romans 10:9-11) If you openly declare - that pretty much leaves out that we can be a Christian and nobody knows we are, doesn't it? Those who serve Christ, who have welcomed them into their lives, and given him control of their hearts will reveal evidence of that faith. Belief doesn't just end with a personal experience with Jesus. It continues into our everyday living - touching lives around us with that 'experience' and with the testimony of what Jesus has done in our lives. For it is by believing in your heart (mind, will, and emotions all in agreement) that you are made right with God. Salvation is more than 'fire insurance' agai...

“Pay close attention to what you hear. The closer you listen, the more understanding you will be given—and you will receive even more. To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them.” (Mark 4:24-25) I remember being in the classroom as a kid, staring blankly at some object or view from the window, all the while daydreaming some big plan or fantasy in my mind. The teacher would be going on with some lesson in geometry, mathematics, or science, all while I was soaring through space in a rocket ship or sailing the blue seas in search of treasures. The imagination is a good thing when it helps us invent new things that help others, but it can be a distraction when it causes us to lose focus!  Christ used parables to teach the people because they could relate to those objects or tasks. Sowing seed was common. Lighting a lamp at sundown was everyday practice....

When you say they are wicked and should be punished, you are condemning yourself, for you who judge others do these very same things. And we know that God, in his justice, will punish anyone who does such things. Since you judge others for doing these things, why do you think you can avoid God’s judgment when you do the same things? Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin? (Romans 2:1-4) Too many times, we judge others for exactly the same things we do, say, or feel. It isn't that we don't know these things are wrong and that we shouldn't be engaging in those things ourselves, it is that we can see them best in others! Remember, the eyes focus outward - they don't look inward. We need some 'inward inspection' to point out that we are engaging in similar behavior. I suppose this is why God gave us his Holy Spirit to reside withi...

For God wanted them to know that the riches and glory of Christ are for you Gentiles, too. And this is the secret: Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing his glory. So we tell others about Christ, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all the wisdom God has given us. We want to present them to God, perfect in their relationship to Christ. (Colossians 1:27-28) Christ lives in you - those are words we can take to heart. In fact, I like to personalize that verse and remind myself that Christ lives in ME. That gives ME the assurance I will share his glory and will be 'presented to God', perfect in MY relationships to Christ. Maybe you might want to personalize that one for yourself. Recalling this from time to time may just be what you need to 'counteract' some of the stuff your enemy is telling you about yourself. We are 'in Christ', he lives 'in us', and we are certain that where he abides, his 'perfecting power' is sure to...

For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And it was not paid with mere gold or silver, which lose their value. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. (I Peter 1:18-19) I was reading this passage today and really began to focus in on the words 'the empty life you inherited from your ancestors'. If you have just skipped over those words, like I have so many times, you may not have even realized what this passage points out so vividly. Our life, prior to asking Christ to take control of it, was merely an empty shell that required his intervention in order to be what it was created to become. That empty shell might not have seemed like much to any onlooker but to God, because of his intense love for his creation, it required a 'ransom' in order to redeem it from the emptiness it had inherited. If you have not heard the truth that man is a 'tri-part being', made up of body...

I don't know about you, but I have realized that we aren't always going to walk the right path, no matter how 'determined' we are. There will always be alternatives, and we will not always select the right one. The issue isn't that we will veer off-course from time to time, it is that we should never make those 'veers' a permanent life choice. We need to learn to recognize them quickly, come before God in humility, acknowledge our need to get back on-course, and then let him help us take the right steps forward. Godliness guards the path of the blameless, but the evil are misled by sin. (Proverbs 13:6) A guarded path is much harder to veer off of than an unguarded one. We may try, but there is always protection to get us back on course or keep us there in the first place. It has good defenses to ensure there is nothing that can act as a destructive force on that path. The evil heart actually chooses a non-guarded path because it is more 'appealing...

 I don't know about you, but I have carried around resentment in my life at times that just ate away at me until I finally released that load to God. It was only then that I realized the significant weight I had put on myself and just how awful that stuff was to carry. Proverbs 27:3 reminds us, "A stone is heavy, and sand is weighty, but the resentment caused by a fool is even heavier." Our words and actions can turn from wise and kind toward bitter and foolish in just a matter of minutes. Our plan to be wise and act the 'right' way can be waylaid by some emotional 'mood' that hits us 'just right' at just the 'wrong moment' and there we are embracing foolish actions and a seed of bitterness. Our mind might be telling us to do one thing, but our emotions can carry us in a different direction when they are allowed to overrule our mind. Truth be told, the other person was kind of foolish in their behavior and it ticked us off just a bit mor...

OUR strength is often what we call willpower or the desire to act one way when the other is the choice we make most often. The truth be told, our ability or talent is way too over-estimated, and our strength is way too small. Proverbs 24:10 reminds us, "If you fail under pressure, your strength is too small." Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding. He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:28-31) God's strength is for the weary and the weak. Not sure if I should admit this or not, but that is me! It is not for those who hav...

Some people make cutting remarks, but the words of the wise bring healing. (Proverbs 12:18) Words - remember the old adage, "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me"? That adage is not true at all, is it? Yes, a beating with sticks and stones could leave us physically maimed, but words/names can hurt even deeper than some of those more 'physical' attacks. Words can be spoken with good intent, yet they bring hurt into the spirit of a man. Why? We don't always 'filter' what we hear. We don't always hear the intent behind the words - we only hear the words themselves. We take all of them in and then we take all of them to heart. What we neglect to do is ask God's help to 'sort' or 'filter' that are helpful and discard the rest. Maybe the problem begins with what we say because many of us are guilty of not really applying good 'filters' to what we say, beginning the pathway to words being said that cou...

Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him. (Philippians 2:12-13) Whoever told you that this Christian lifestyle was going to be a cakewalk was pulling the wool over your eyes! It is easier at first, but at some point, it actually gets a bit harder to continue in our growth. It is not always easy following the instructions laid out for us in God's Word, maybe because we see so many others just observing those words when it feels good to them and ignoring them at other times. Obedience is definitely not situational, and it is not a thing we 'show off' when others are watching and ignore when they are not.  Work hard to show the results of your salvation. That very statement suggests there may be more than a bit of work involved in making different choices in life. Lifestyle changes are hard, but when they begin with a proper respect for God...

Times may seem bleak right now, but we can know that even when disaster abounds and emptiness seems to occupy spaces once fruitful, our hearts are filled with an everlasting peace. Empty 'barns' and lost 'flocks' may not be our worry today, but empty pantries and drained bank accounts may be our present worry. Even in the midst of these struggles, we can rejoice in the Lord. Why? He remains our strength when our weakness abounds! Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation! (Habakkuk 3:17-18) Joy comes when we worship him - it actually ushers in his peace and joy when we surrender our hearts in worship. In short order, we find our strength being renewed and our peace restored. These are found in his...

The altar of God is a place of healing, but many just see it as a place of judgment or punishment. They fear approaching a holy God, probably because they don't understand the intensity of his love, nor the extreme privilege of his grace. We need to see the altar as a place of encouragement, where we are filled with the presence of God, and celebrate his goodness, grace, and strength. Send out your light and your truth; let them guide me. Let them lead me to your holy mountain, to the place where you live. There I will go to the altar of God, to God—the source of all my joy. (Psalm 43:3-4) Discouragement abounds today, making it ever so important to understand where it is we go to find our encouragement. It isn't in the rise of the stock market, or even the momentary good times we enjoy at family celebrations. It is at the altar that we are renewed and regenerated. It is there we find a lasting peace and an enduring courage for the trials ahead. Whenever we only ...

For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile. This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.” (Romans 1:16-17) Sometimes we encounter those who really don't believe the truth of the gospel. It could be that we sometimes struggle with it ourselves, questioning the validity of what God has said or promised to us. Those who doubt the truth today might even say it is just kind of 'old-fashioned' and outdated - like it belonged to our parent's generation, not ours. What is worse is that some actually believe they are able to do life on their own, that they don't need this 'God thing' we talk about. Faith isn't 'old-fashioned', outdated, or 'invalid'. It never grows old. I think some may balk a littl...

Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. (I Peter 5:7) All, not just some. Give them all to God. Seems easy enough, right? Nope! It isn't all that easy because we have this tendency to 'hold onto' just a few more worries than we should. The trouble with that is we aren't allowing the one who can 'take care' of them to handle them. Taking on the burden of those cares is not our 'duty' or even our 'privilege'. It is sin! God tells us to give him all our cares, so when we hold onto them so tightly, worrying them along, we get buried under a load of weight, some of which is the guilt we experience by not letting them go.  Our shoulders weren't meant to bear that burden. All we can do in life is our 'best', then we leave the rest to Jesus. If we have done our part, we need to allow him to do his. The issue comes when we think 'our part' goes way beyond where it should go. Our 'best' is done now, then ...

And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. (Romans 12:1-2) When we get honest with God, ourselves, and others, we might just find ourselves expressing some feelings and thoughts that we have kept bottled up for a while. We start to share what we are experiencing - at the 'gut level'. True honesty with God begins with true honesty with ourselves. Until we are willing to be truthful about what we have been feeling or experiencing in life, we will just live truly superficial lives - emotionally, relationally, and spiritually. Dishonesty with oneself actually creates a pretty negative outcom...

After exploring the land for forty days, the men returned to Moses, Aaron, and the whole community of Israel at Kadesh in the wilderness of Paran. They reported to the whole community what they had seen and showed them the fruit they had taken from the land. This was their report to Moses: “We entered the land you sent us to explore, and it is indeed a bountiful country—a land flowing with milk and honey. Here is the kind of fruit it produces. But the people living there are powerful, and their towns are large and fortified. We even saw giants there, the descendants of Anak! (Numbers 13:25-28) The moment we let our eyes 'see' as only we can see is the moment the odds against us might seem a little too great to handle. We need to begin to see life through God's eyes, but how do we do that in the face of such great odds against us? There will always be circumstances that seem to be out of our control, beyond our natural means of handling or muddling through. When we only foc...