The Plumbline

Nothing reflects so much honor on a workman as a trial of his work and its endurance of it. So it is with God. It honors Him when His saints preserve their integrity. (Charles Spurgeon) For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him. Do everything without complaining and arguing, so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people. (Philippians 2:13-15) Living with integrity is what pleases God and we can only accomplish this through the power of his Spirit that lives within us. Have you ever been criticized for being 'too good' or 'too respectable' in your actions? Don't stop living that way! It is a thing that definitely honors God! In the midst of trials, our endurance is put to the test. If we are truthful, none of us really enjoys the trial as much as we appreciate the 'thing within us' that keeps us strong, fait...

If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom. (James 3:13) Socrates said, "The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing." I came into this world 'knowing nothing', but in the course of 'experiencing life' I have gained a bit of wisdom (at least I hope I have). We learn through experience, but do we always have to 'experience' to learn? God's ways are 'understood' in different ways than human understanding really can define. We don't always need to 'experience' something to learn from it. We can observe others 'experiencing' the event, realizing that we either want to avoid that event entirely, or engage ourselves in it all the more. When it comes to really seeing someone in love with Jesus, doing what he asks them to do without hesitation, and living within the peace that passes all understanding, we might just find ours...