The Plumbline

As pressure and stress bear down on me, I find joy in your commands. (Psalm 119:143) We might not be able to escape pressures in this world, much less expect to never have any stress in our lives. Stress actually helps us grow stronger. A tree needs the wind to establish deeper roots. A human body has something referred to as the cellular stress response (CSR) in which the cells of our body respond in such a way as to counter intrusions and restore health to the cell once again. If God made each cell of our body with an ability to 'counteract' stress, don't you think he'd do the same with our 'spiritual cells'? Look at what our psalmist said: "As pressure and stress bear down on me - I FIND JOY IN YOUR COMMANDS." The stress or pressures of life drove him deeper into God's Word - into his commands and directives for living. There is no better 'counteraction' than to get into God's Word because it bolsters our 'spiritual cells' an...

Carefully determine what pleases the Lord. Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them. It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret. But their evil intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them, for the light makes everything visible. (Ephesians 5:10-14) Carefully determine - while most of us have a general understanding of what God expects of us, how many of us have gone so far as to do a 'deep dive' into scripture to truly understand what pleases the Lord? We have heard the stories of how Israel erected a golden image, knowing that God abhors idols of any kind. We listened to sermons that reminded us to turn the other cheek, knowing God values grace and forgiveness. Yet do we truly understand what the 'worthless deeds of evil and darkness' really are? Perhaps understanding what 'pleases God' is made clear when we understand what light brings out of hiding in the lives of others and...

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) Fools think their own way is right, but the wise listen to others. (Proverbs 12:15) An honorable workman - can any of us hope to be more than this? We each have a set mission in mind with each new day. We formulate our plans, ask God to take them into his control, blessing them as he does, and we set out. Fools don't ask God's direction, nor do they give him control of their mission. They believe they know the way, even though they have never traveled it before! The wise preserve their integrity by asking for his wisdom BEFORE they launch out on their day's journey. It would be foolish to just get in the car, knowing the general direction of North Carolina from Arizona is more or less east, then just drive without any knowledge of the direction certain roadways or highways would take us. In...

I think that is a better thing than thanksgiving: thanks-living. How is this to be done? By a general cheerfulness of manner, by an obedience to the command of Him by whose mercy we live, by a perpetual, constant delighting of ourselves in the Lord, and by a submission of our desires to His will.  (Charles Spurgeon) And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful. Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father. (Colossians 3:15-17) Thanks-living. That pretty much sums up how Jesus wants us to live each and every day. Spurgeon sums it up well when he says we are to perpetually and constantly delight ourselves in the Lor...

Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. (I John 2:15-16) If we are the type that needs to have a 'measurement' of how well we are doing, this verse might just be the one. Do not love this world nor the things it offers - that seems pretty plain, but does that mean we cannot drive a nice car, have a home that is paid off, or go on a cruise? No, it just means we don't put those things ahead of our relationship with Jesus. Physical pleasure was created by God, as were all our 'human' emotions, physical attributes, and minds. The intent of the passage is our heart attitude toward the things of this world and what we can accomplish in our own talent or strength. Pride is at the root of most ...

The folly of mistaking a paradox for a discovery, a metaphor for a proof, a torrent of verbiage for a spring of capital truths, and oneself for an oracle, is inborn in us. (Paul Valery) The woman named Folly is brash. She is ignorant and doesn’t know it. She sits in her doorway on the heights overlooking the city. She calls out to men going by who are minding their own business. “Come in with me,” she urges the simple. To those who lack good judgment, she says, “Stolen water is refreshing; food eaten in secret tastes the best!” But little do they know that the dead are there. Her guests are in the depths of the grave. (Proverbs 9:13-18) To those who lack good judgment - I daresay I have been there at times, how about you? Those moments when we act without thinking, speak without considering the impact of our words, or purchase without contemplating the impact on our lives happens to all of us on occasion. Folly is brash - there is much that calls out to us these days from the 'door...

Wash yourselves and be clean! Get your sins out of my sight. Give up your evil ways. Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for the rights of widows. “Come now, let’s settle this,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool. (Isaiah 1:16-18) If it were possible to have our sins washed away in our own power, we'd probably do everything we could to accomplish that task. In fact, a good many still believe they have to clean up their lives BEFORE they can come to Jesus. The opposite is quite true - Jesus came for the unclean, unholy, impure, unrighteous, and downright messed up lives. When God tells Isaiah that the Kingdom of Judah needed to wash themselves and be clean, getting their sins out of his sight, he was pointing out that they had embraced all manner of idolatry and cultural corruption. Their sins were an abomination -...

But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve... But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord. (Joshua 24:15) Mathematician Rene Descartes said, "It is not enough to have a good mind; the main thing is to use it well." I would have to add, "It is not enough to have a good heart; the main thing is to use it to serve your God and King, Jesus Christ." There is always a choice in serving the Lord, but it is the commitment that comes along with that choice that seems to give so many an issue. Humility, love, selflessness are all character traits of the one who has chosen to serve Jesus. Do these things come naturally to the one who serves? No, they are ongoing active choices to draw closer, learn at his feet, and then do as he says. Stewardship is always best when it stems from a heart that is willing to serve, no matter the cost. There are all kinds of options to give of oneself, some requiring little to no sacrifice at all, while ot...

My child, pay attention to what I say. Listen carefully to my words. Don’t lose sight of them. Let them penetrate deep into your heart, for they bring life to those who find them, and healing to their whole body. Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. (Proverbs 4:20-23) Pay attention - listen carefully - never lose focus. These are pretty specific directions, meant to keep us safe, establishing us on a clear course for life. The more the Word of God penetrates our heart, the more we will see that course established - it gives us foundation and protection. Nothing outlives a good foundation. If you have ever observed an old building site, the walls may have been torn down, but the solid foundation still remains. It was meant to endure!  The Word of God penetrates our heart, but it affects our mind, emotions, and even the health of our whole body. If you have ever felt just a bit 'out of sorts' and not been able to put your finger on what it i...

God has now revealed to us his mysterious will regarding Christ—which is to fulfill his own good plan. And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth. (Ephesians 1:9-10) At the right time - there have been hundreds of people who have tried to 'predict' the exact time of the 'end of the world'. All of those predictions have been debunked, one-by-one falling away as mere speculation. Scripture says, "“However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows. “When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day. In those days before the flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat. People didn’t realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of Man ...

 Oswald Chambers reminds us, "Faith is deliberate confidence in the character of God whose ways you may not understand at the time." Do we always understand God's ways? I daresay we might think we have a handle on them at times, but then something comes our way, and there we go wondering if we know his ways at all! Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take." The more we don't understand what is happening, the more we need to lean into Jesus and allow him to sort out those things that we must trust the character of our faithful God with as we go through them. Chambers also told us, "When it is a question of God's almighty Spirit, never say, 'I can't'." The truth is, we probably can't, but God can. We must never doubt his Spirit's direction, no matter how frightful it may seem to us to take th...

The old way, with laws etched in stone, led to death, though it began with such glory that the people of Israel could not bear to look at Moses’ face. For his face shone with the glory of God, even though the brightness was already fading away. Shouldn’t we expect far greater glory under the new way, now that the Holy Spirit is giving life? If the old way, which brings condemnation, was glorious, how much more glorious is the new way, which makes us right with God! In fact, that first glory was not glorious at all compared with the overwhelming glory of the new way. So if the old way, which has been replaced, was glorious, how much more glorious is the new, which remains forever! (2 Corinthians 3:7-11) The old and the new. Have you ever noticed that God presents things in 'contrast' in the Word? Sin and righteousness, failure and restoration, despair and hope, captivity and freedom. The list could go on, but you can only discover those things as you read through his Word. The o...

A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing. (George Bernard Shaw) Indeed, we all make many mistakes. For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way. (James 3:2) Have you ever made a mistake, attempted to cover it up the best you could, then stood your ground that you didn't make that mistake when someone discovered it? I certainly have! Remember that little person in your home named "Not Me"? I lived as the only child in the home after my brother and sister went out on their own and tried to blame things on 'Not Me' a lot. It never worked, though. Why? "Not Me" didn't exist and I did! Jesus isn't impressed by how well we mask our sins. He doesn't believe the "Not Me" excuse, either. We might be surprised by how quickly he heals those broken areas sins leaves if we'd admit our sins just a bit quicker! "...

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 12:2) But let God... We allow a lot of things to influence our thought life, don't we? The more we let in, the more difficult it becomes to actually 'filter through' all that muddle. The moment we realize we have been entertaining way too much of this world's philosophy is the moment we begin to ask God to put his Holy Spirit in 'filter mode' over our thoughts. The transformation God desires for each of us begins with a changing of the guard over our minds. There is nothing more transformative than the power of God's Spirit at work in our thoughts. When we allow his Spirit to guide (control) what comes into our minds, the more our actions will be transformed by the thoughts he actually wants us to dwell upon.  God's will isn't some...

God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church. And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself. (Ephesians 1:22-23) What does it mean to have Christ as our authority in life? In a very simple sense, it means we no longer try to run our lives the best we can and hope everything will come out all right. We trust a higher power to actually orchestrate our lives, keeping watch over us, guiding us in all that we do. The church is his body. Are you the church? Yes, if you have said 'yes' to Jesus. The church isn't a building or a denomination. It is believers everywhere, under his authority, living life together in Christian community. As his church, we have a mission - to grow in Christ, sharing his grace with others who haven't experienced it as we have. The church (you and I) is made 'full and complete by Christ. He fills us with...

Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your family of believers all over the world is going through the same kind of suffering you are. (I Peter 5:8-9) Stay alert - that suggests we are to be aware of the fact our enemy is going to target our lives for attack after attack. He isn't content to just sit back and watch us grow closer and closer to Jesus. In fact, we most likely wouldn't grow quite as quickly or as well if he didn't formulate those attacks against us! In case you hadn't noticed, we draw closer to Jesus when under attack. He may roar, but his teeth aren't sharp, his bite isn't penetrating, and his pounce has lost its bounce! Jesus took care of all of that at the cross. The moment we say "YES" to Jesus, like it or not, Satan sits up and takes notice of what we will do from that point forward...

Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can. (John Wesley) Come, my children, and listen to me, and I will teach you to fear the Lord. Does anyone want to live a life that is long and prosperous? Then keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies! Turn away from evil and do good. Search for peace, and work to maintain it. (Psalm 34:11-14) Work to maintain it. Perhaps one of the biggest mistakes we make is to not apply ourselves 'enough' to what it is we are taught about how to live among our fellow man. We speak without thinking, tell half-truths when the full truth would make us uncomfortable, seek things God clearly says will entangle and ensnare us, and then wonder where our peace has gone. We gave it away without even noticing that we were doing it! Now we find ourselves trying to get it back, while trying to mend what...

And we can be sure that we know him if we obey his commandments. If someone claims, “I know God,” but doesn’t obey God’s commandments, that person is a liar and is not living in the truth. But those who obey God’s word truly show how completely they love him. That is how we know we are living in him. Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did. (I John 2:3-6) Yesterday we explored the story of the rich young ruler who thought he did well with keeping all the commandments and hoped for eternal life to be granted to him as a result. While he did a 'good job' at living by the rules, he missed the one biggest one that said he should worship no other god. You see, his money became his god - he had a hard time when Jesus told him to sell all he had and give it to the poor amongst them. Today, we look at the 'measure' of one who obeys God's commandments to the fullest - they follow the example of love that Christ modeled for them while he walked t...

We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations. (Charles R. Swindoll) What is impossible for people is possible with God. (Luke 18:27) We all have our 'impossible moments' - times when what we desire to happen seem way too far out of reach and nowhere close to being within our means or power to achieve. When the rich young ruler came to Jesus with the question, "Teacher, what good deeds must I do to achieve eternal life?", reporting all he had done already, believing there must be something else he had to 'do', Jesus gave him one instruction. He had kept the commandments. He wanted to 'be perfect'. So, the instruction - go and sell what you have, giving the money to the poor. I imagine if the rich young ruler had suspected this would be required of him, he'd have never posed the question! There are times we bring a dilemma of faith to Jesus, only to find the answer might rankle our will just a b...

For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. (Hebrews 4:12) In scripture, 'soul' is used in both the Old and New Testaments. In Hebrew, nephesh, and in Greek, psyche. In the Old, the entirety of life was summed up in the term, while in the New, it focused much on the mind, will, and emotions, but never discounted the concept of life itself. When God tells us his Word is used to cut between soul and spirit, perhaps he is reminding us that mind, will, and emotions can become so entangled with the concepts of this world that our spirit is adversely affected. You will never find 'soul' dissociated with body and spirit - the three exist together and 'make up' the entirety of one's being. What God sees is that the entirety of one's being is to be devoted to him. When one part of our life (soul) deviates towar...

All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17) Useful - profitable (Gk. ophelimos) - helpful, advantageous, of use in order to teach what is true. Would we expect God to leave us with anything other than what would be 'advantageous' for our daily lives? The more we get into scripture, the more we realize the 'usefulness' of it. There we find encouragement right alongside correction, reminders right next to urgent instruction, and praise intermixed with lament. It truly is a very interesting read, but so many avoid its pages as though it offered absolutely nothing of use for their lives. What is true? If you have ever stood in the midst of a muddle, you might have asked that question. Doubt interwoven with fear, mixed messages of all kinds, a...

Come and listen, all you who fear God, and I will tell you what he did for me. For I cried out to him for help, praising him as I spoke. If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. But God did listen! He paid attention to my prayer. Praise God, who did not ignore my prayer or withdraw his unfailing love from me. (Psalm 66:16-20) Come and listen. How many times do we sit through a sermon, preached with all the anointing God provides, only to have heard the words, but been unaffected by the instruction? I bet it is more than once or twice. We come. We listen. Somehow, even though those two actions were taken, we miss the mark. We don't really 'learn' because there was very little to no obedience as a result of hearing. There is something powerful in listening, but if we listen and never learn, we fall short of what God intends. In listening, we often find moments when we must also 'cry out'. We express the depths of our hearts in pra...

I look to you for protection. I will hide beneath the shadow of your wings until the danger passes by. I cry out to God Most High, to God who will fulfill his purpose for me. (Psalm 57:1-2) Where does God provide refuge? Under the shadow of his wings. A mother hen will call for her chicks, sheltering there under the cover of her wings for as long as any threat is nearby. The hen sacrifices her comfort for the protection of her young. Jesus sacrificed the 'protection' of his divinity to become the sacrifice for our sins. There is no better shelter from the 'threats' in our lives than the shadow of his wings. Until the danger passes by. The ability to 'hide' under the shelter of his wings is always there, but it is especially needed when danger surrounds us. If you haven't learned to take shelter in his presence during the times when danger isn't pressing in around you, you will when danger imposes a threat! The chicks don't just shelter under their mo...

This I know: God is on my side! I praise God for what he has promised; yes, I praise the Lord for what he has promised. I trust in God, so why should I be afraid? What can mere mortals do to me? (Psalm 56:9-11) This I know. Those three words make all the difference. What is it you know? Who is it you know? What you answer to those two questions might just be the difference between failure or perseverance in the face of trial or temptation. God is indeed on our side, but do we really trust that with all our heart?  As a child, we'd divide into 'teams' formed by the wishes of two team 'captains'. The selection process would continue, one right after the other, until we were divided into the two teams. The ones you had 'on your side' made all the difference in how well the game would turn out, didn't it? Those selected early were usually the strongest 'players' in the sport. Those left to last were more like 'warm bodies' on the field. Those...

Jesus sat down near the collection box in the Temple and watched as the crowds dropped in their money. Many rich people put in large amounts. Then a poor widow came and dropped in two small coins. Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has given more than all the others who are making contributions. For they gave a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she had to live on.” (Mark 12:41-43) A few years back, one of our grocers had a very well-stocked section in their store with 'overstocked' and soon to expire items. You'd be able to snatch up all manner of 'good bargains' for a very low price. We were able to stock up because of the 'excess' or 'surplus' of those items the grocer had 'over-ordered'. While this may be a good tactic for finding bargains, we sometimes found that by 'snatching up' those good buys, some of the items would go to waste because we...

People may hear your words, but the feel your attitude. (John C. Maxwell) People may cover their hatred with pleasant words, but they’re deceiving you. They pretend to be kind, but don’t believe them. Their hearts are full of many evils. While their hatred may be concealed by trickery, their wrongdoing will be exposed in public. (Proverbs 26:24-26) One of the greatest forms of 'trickery' is the use of one's words. Some will be kind, but the attitude behind those words expresses anything but kindness. Others will seem harsh, yet the intent of those words were to help you more than you may realize. I agree with Maxwell - the 'attitude' behind the words is most important! The Lord helps us see through words when we seek his understanding in all matters. We may not be able to discern the intent of the one speaking those words on our own, but with the power of the Holy Spirit resident within each of us, we almost 'feel' the attitude behind the spoken words. I...

None are more unjust in their judgments of others than those who have a high opinion of themselves. (Charles Spurgeon) Yes, each of us will give a personal account to God. So let’s stop condemning each other. Decide instead to live in such a way that you will not cause another believer to stumble and fall. (Romans 14:12-13) We may not like to hear this, but God's command is clear - we each will give a personal account before God, so there is absolutely no room for any of us to judge another. Our behavior differs from another's, but when we choose to criticize another for their behavior, our behavior moves from good to bad in that very instant. None of us can 'hide' our faults or failures, hurts or hangups. We might try but it is quite impossible to hide such things from the eyes of God. As we come before Christ, will we be judged on our own merit? Our lives will indeed be evaluated as 'sins forgiven, slate wiped clean' if we have accepted him as our Lord and Sav...

As dead flies cause even a bottle of perfume to stink, so a little foolishness spoils great wisdom and honor. A wise person chooses the right road; a fool takes the wrong one. You can identify fools just by the way they walk down the street! (Ecclesiastes 10:1-3) If you ever wondered about some of your decisions in life, you are not alone. I have built stuff, then looked at it a few years later wondering why I put it there or how come the materials haven't held up to the elements. I have said I'd do something, not really thinking through the demand it would place on my body or the time it would take. We all make those 'snap decisions', wondering desperately why we made THAT choice instead of the other. The hope is that we make wise ones, but truth be told, we ALL make some pretty foolish ones on occasion. What we do with that 'not very wise' choice is important. We can flounder around, looking for ways to escape the foolishness of it all, or we can simply go alo...

A good character is the best tombstone. Those who loved you and were helped by you will remember you when forget-me-nots have withered. Carve your name on hearts, not on marble. (Charles Spurgeon) 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) Have you ever 'pretended' to care for someone, all because it was 'expected' of you? You have that one coworker who just annoys you to the core, the messy neighbor who refuses to keep his yard clean, or the cranky old goat who always seems to be the clerk on duty whenever you go through the checkout lane. They all have that one common trait - they aren't all that easy to love. As Spurgeon said, "Carve your names on hearts..." - even theirs! Our greatest challenge at times is to love those we might label as 'unlovable'. Their 'personality' just conf...

The Lord is a friend to those who fear him. He teaches them his covenant. My eyes are always on the Lord, for he rescues me from the traps of my enemies. (Psalm 25:14-15) Fear him - does this mean we stand trembling, always trying to do more and more in order to feel 'accepted' in order to 'get into his presence'? No, it means we pay him the respect and honor due him as the Creator of the universe and the Lord of Lords. The Hebrew term for 'fear the Lord' is 'yirah', carrying a very significant picture of the RELATIONSHIP we have with God. The term describes the profound sense of awe, reverence, and respect when encountered with something or someone greater than yourself. It is the sense of being face-to-face with the incomprehensible majesty of God. It describes an emotional response. One that encompasses a sense of wonder (awe), while also giving a great amount of respect and honor because of his holiness and power. One who fears God is humble, recogni...