The Plumbline

How joyful are those who fear the Lord— all who follow his ways! You will enjoy the fruit of your labor. How joyful and prosperous you will be! (Psalm 128:1-2 NLT) The fear of the Lord is the beginning of all wisdom as scripture says, and to live a fruitful life, one must choose to serve the Lord with all their heart, mind, and soul. We cannot expect fruit where there has been no investment in the preparation for that harvest. If we just go out to the garden and expect to always see fruit on our tomato plant, but we haven't watered, turned the soil, sprayed for pesty bugs, and kept them shaded from the hot Arizona afternoon sun, our harvest will be piddly and not really all that enjoyable. Yet, if we do those things, we stand a much better chance of big red, juicy tomatoes. The 'prep' work is important if we want to see a harvest in our spiritual lives, as well. The choice to follow ALL of his ways is one that yields much fruit, but we cannot pick and choose which one of...

“I will put my instructions deep within them, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. And they will not need to teach their neighbors, nor will they need to teach their relatives, saying, ‘You should know the Lord.’ For everyone, from the least to the greatest, will know me already,” says the Lord. “And I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins.” (Jeremiah 31:33-34 NLT) When God does a work of transforming a life, he does it completely. There is no 'half-way' with God. He puts his word deep within our hearts, not so that he can control us, but so we can know him better and better with each passing day. Yes, his word acts as a 'control' over our own impulses, but God never takes away our self-will even when he puts his word within us and gives us his Spirit to live in us. His desire is that we will allow him to be our God and willingly participate as a member of his family in the ways he s...

Do You hear this? Are You paying attention, our True God? We are worse than nothing to these men. Turn their curses back on them. Plunder them. Pillage them until they are captives in a foreign land. Do not cover over their wickedness or erase the reality of their sin before you—they have mocked You right in front of the men rebuilding the city for You. We returned to building, focused and determined to work as one people. We stacked rock upon rock until one end of the wall met the other and it grew to half of its original height. (Nehemiah 4:4-6 VOICE) If there is one thing we can count on, it is condemnation from our enemy - there will be more opposition to the steps we take forward than anytime we just settle in and coast. The enemy is a mocker of mankind - always has been and he's not about to change now. One of his greatest tools is to use words and threats to turn us away from an active pursuit of truth and the things God would have us do in our lives. Nehemiah and the people...

The parents of the right-living will celebrate; yes, parents of children who make wise choices are happy. (Proverbs 23:24 VOICE) If you have ever looked at one of your children, grandchildren, or friends, noticing some of the 'not so wise' choices they have been making, you may have wondered how they got things 'so wrong' in their decisions. They were 'raised better than that', after all. weren't they? Why did they choose to ignore all their upbringing with that decision? When our kiddos and acquaintances make right choices, we celebrate don't we? When they make unwise ones, what is our response? Is it to condemn them, bail them out, or do we continue to pray for them, be a positive example, and be there when they need us? It is quite possible that we feel the one who has made unwise choices may feel a little 'let down' or 'exasperated' by those choices themselves, but they don't know what to do about it. That doesn't mean we can...

For those who cling to the true God, it is said, “Clear the way that they travel; widen the roads and make them smooth! Take away any difficulty so that they may go easily!” For the highest God above, who is and always will be, the only One who is holy has this to say: I live in the high and holy place, yet I am with the low, the weak, and the humble. I renew their vitality and revive their strength...For the human spirit would grow faint—the breath of life I created would soon grow weak. (Isaiah 57:14-16 VOICE) I have put microfiber towels in with my regular towels, only to find the microfiber ones clinging so firmly to the regular towels that I have to peel them off. Their 'cling' isn't permanent, but it takes some doing to get them apart from the rest of the laundry load. The 'intensity' of their cling reminds me that God wants us to conform to him just like those 12x12 microfiber cloths cling to anything they get next to in my dryer load. They don't just fal...

Look, all of you are flawed in so many ways, yet in spite of all your faults, you know how to give good gifts to your children. How much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to all who ask! (Luke 11:13 VOICE) How many times do we think of ourselves as 'flawed' in some manner? We look in the mirror and see that blemish on our face - flawed. We see our outfit next to the lady wearing the latest fashion - flawed. We hear someone talking about their big new house and remember the broken door hinge in our bathroom - flawed. We have so many ways we view our lives as 'flawed', but the biggest one is when we believe the lie that our lives are beyond God's repair! The imperfect is made perfect because God gave us the gift of his Holy Spirit to indwell us, helping us learn to see ourselves as he sees us - no longer flawed! The sin we pursued left us flawed. The presence of God with us because we said yes to Jesus leaves us NO LONGER FLAWED. Nothing within us ...

The celestial realms announce God’s glory; the skies testify of His hands’ great work. Each day pours out more of their sayings; each night, more to hear and more to learn. (Psalm 19:1-2 VOICE) As a child, I'd lay under the shade of a big tree's shadow just staring at the clouds passing overhead. If I was with friends, we'd try to imagine the shapes were dogs, cats, horses, or some such thing. If I was alone, the geek in me would come out and I would ponder how they came to be made, what caused them to move so rapidly, why they changed appearances as they did. Way out in the desert at night, the skies would be pitch black, stars aglow in massive quantities. The heavens did declare something of God's glory, even back then, and they continue to do so now. His 'great work' is on display for us in the skies overhead, although we may miss it if we don't stop long enough to ponder it. That simple activity as a child was possible because I had nothing but time! As...

When life is dark, a light will shine for those who live rightly— those who are merciful, compassionate, and strive for justice. Good comes to all who are gracious and share freely; they conduct their affairs with sound judgment. (Psalm 112:4-5 VOICE) Life gets dark sometimes, doesn't it? In those dark places we want even the tiniest bit of light to help us get through, don't we? We are never without light, even in the dark places of life! We might not understand why darkness is surrounding us, but we can trust that there will be light that shines through. Those who are merciful, compassionate, and strive for justice shall always be assured of light shining on their path. Merciful people don't just receive mercy - they give it freely because they know how freely they have received it. Compassionate people don't just feel concern for the suffering they can see - they feel it deeply just because they know it exists. Justice may seem like it is far away at times. There ...

Voltaire said, "It is difficult to free fools from the chains they revere." Isaiah reminds us, "The Eternal One’s reach is not so short that He cannot save you. His ear is not so deaf that He cannot hear you. Your persistent wrongdoing has come between you and your God; since you constantly reject and push God away..." (Isaiah 59:1-2 VOICE) There is a constancy to sin, isn't there? We are pulling against it, but it is pulling us into it repeatedly. The fool is never free from the bonds of those chains - from the repeated pulling toward the unwise choice. The wise will call out, realizing they are pulled beyond their strength to resist. Their call will be heard - not by human ears, but by the ears of a God who delights in setting the captive free! Their bondage will be broken. Their freedom is assured! One must realize the need for freedom, though. We have to recognize the bondage of sin - the pull that is beyond our ability to resist with mere willpower. The ...

You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it. (Matthew 7:13-14 NLT) Did you ever notice that part in this passage about the gateway to life? Yes, we remember it is narrow, but do we really focus on it being difficult? Not usually! We see coming to Christ as the 'easier road' - one less traveled, but once we find it, we believe the travels will be markedly different than the path we had chosen apart from Christ. While that is true, the path is not always going to be 'easily traveled'. Perhaps that is why it is the road 'less traveled' than the road to hell! Either road is a choice. Don't miss that - we choose to serve our own desires and go the easiest way possible, or we choose to lay down our desires and choose to travel a road that has been prepared yet may not be th...

But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!” (Romans 10:14-15 NLT) How will they hear? Our testimony will ring loud and true. How will they come to believe? Both our lives and our testimony will invite them into his presence. Who is to tell them about him? We ALL are! We don't have to fill a pulpit to preach a message - our lives can do that! Those who will call upon him will be saved. This is a certain promise that God will not go back on - ever. Whatever goes on around us, his testimony will ring true and come through time and time again. We are called to be living examples of his love and grace. Grace to embrace the hungry and seeking - love to seek them out when they don't e...

Lord, through all the generations you have been our home! Before the mountains were born, before you gave birth to the earth and the world, from beginning to end, you are God. (Psalm 90:1-2 NLT) From beginning to end - the Alpha and the Omega. God has always been and will always be. So, why do we worry through life's challenges when we know God has always been and will always be with us? Why do we stress over life's woes when we know the one who can put all things right again? We need to remember he is both the beginning and the end - what comes in the middle is where we might just try to take the reins out of his hand way too often! When we make our home somewhere, don't we do more than just pass through that space? We actually begin to put down roots, finding comfort in the small things that make that place, big or small, our home. If God is our home, won't we put down roots in a spiritual sense that help us to feel a certain sense of 'comfort' in knowing h...

Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. (Ephesians 3:17-19 NLT) We have all been given the power to understand the love of God if we have asked Jesus to be the Lord of our lives. We cannot deny the work of his love in our hearts - mind, will, and emotions made whole and healed. What? You say your emotions are still up and down? Your mind is still muddled with all kinds of untruth? Your will is still a bit unruly? Well, you are not alone! We are a work in progress - his love taking us from one healed step to another. His home is in our hearts. Not just his VRBO/AirBNB short-term stay. His HOME is in ou...

Then he said to them, “Anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me also welcomes my Father who sent me. Whoever is the least among you is the greatest.” (Luke 9:48 NLT) Greatness isn't measured in what we accomplish or how highly we think about ourselves, is it? We can portray the most 'important' or 'regal' of images, but deep down inside, we can be a messed-up ball of worry, mistrust, and pride. As we have heard, "Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall." (Proverbs 16:18) We can say all the right things, but are we doing them from a genuine and humble heart? The humble see themselves as they really are and in what God can do through them when they are genuine in their faith. What am I? A sinner, incapable of living as I should apart from the grace of God active and living in my heart. Who are you? Truth be told, I cannot make that judgment - that is between you and God! I can see ...

While badgers are animals without many defenses, they are wise enough to make their homes in the rocky cliffs... (Proverbs 30:26 VOICE) Making one's homes in the rocky cliffs might not seem very 'safe' from our perspective, when one wants a 'defense' against predators, it might just make a whole lot of sense to be in a place not easily reached! Some of us could take a lesson from the 'badger' - especially when it comes to finding the right 'defensive line'. The ants lay up for the lean season, the locusts know they need each other and move in mass, and the lizard can go places others cannot. All four of these creatures are considered wise, giving us a lesson to learn from each of their 'traits'. The badger knows he needs a good defense against attack, as do each of us! The 'badgers' referenced in this passage were merely rabbit-sized mammal of the region that had very little in the way of its own defenses. They lack physical streng...

A tender answer turns away rage, but a prickly reply spikes anger. (Proverbs 15:1 VOICE) It was John F. Kennedy who said, "We must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them." The words we live by are more than words - they are a testimony to the grace and love of God within us, or the selfishness and pride that wells up when a soul isn't serving Christ. The more we live by truth instead of just speaking it, the more we will see the lives of those around us impacted by the 'words we live'.  John Maxwell reminds us, "People may hear your words, but they feel your attitude." This is never truer than when we display an unkind or selfish attitude. The words might be 'kind' or 'understanding', but if the attitude behind them is sarcastic, they can be viewed as unkind. Sarcasm is often used because someone wants to be funny, but it can also become a weapon that brings hurt to the heart of one hearing ...

So, my friends, Jesus by His blood gives us courage to enter the most holy place... Since we have a great High Priest who presides over the house of God, let us draw near with true hearts full of faith, with hearts rinsed clean of any evil conscience, and with bodies cleansed with pure water. Let us hold strong to the confession of our hope, never wavering, since the One who promised it to us is faithful. Let us consider how to inspire each other to greater love and to righteous deeds, not forgetting to gather as a community, as some have forgotten, but encouraging each other, especially as the day of His return approaches. (Hebrews 10:19-25 VOICE) If you lack courage to face a holy God, you can find it in the person of Jesus. He made it possible for sinners like you and me to approach the throne room of God with boldness and assurance. Hearst rinsed clean of our evil, bodies clean, minds renewed. This is the work of Christ within each of us - allowing us to be strong, courageous over...

Above all else, watch over your heart; diligently guard it because from a sincere and pure heart come the good and noble things of life. Do away with any talk that twists and distorts the truth; have nothing to do with any verbal trickery. Keep your head up, your eyes straight ahead, and your focus fixed on what is in front of you. Take care you don’t stray from the straight path, the way of truth, and you will safely reach the end of your road. Do not veer off course to the right or the left; step away from evil, and leave it behind. (Proverbs 4:23-27 VOICE) Above all else - these instructions aren't to be taken lightly - we are to pay close attention to them, guarding our hearts so that they stay on course. The pure, good, and noble things of life don't come naturally when one is born with a sin nature - there must be an exchange of nature in order for these things to become the 'norm'. Let's take a closer look at the instructions we are given in this passage: - W...

If you fail under pressure, your strength is too small. (Proverbs 24:10 NLT) When you are 'under pressure', what strength do you draw from to refrain from giving into that pressure? We might feel pressure from all life throws our way, but have you ever felt 'spiritual pressure'? It is that type of 'pressure' God is exerting to get us to actually be more pliable in his hands. An artisan who works with clay will tell you it takes a bit of pressure to remove the unwanted air bubbles and clumps from the clay in their hands. Those things actually make the clay object they are creating 'imperfect' so they must be removed in order for the object to have its best form, fulfilling its intended purpose.  Perhaps you are feeling a bit of 'spiritual pressure' right now. God is dealing with a few unwanted 'bubbles and clumps' in the 'clay of your life'. He is not doing it to hurt you - he is doing it so you can take on your 'best form...

I praise God for what he has promised. I trust in God, so why should I be afraid? (Psalm 56:4 NLT) What has God promised for your life? Peace in the midst of turmoil? Hope in the midst of fear? Provision in the midst of lack? All of these and more! We cannot underestimate the promises of God or argue that God doesn't really provide what he promises. The promises of God are without reversal - once they were given, they remained in effect! Do we fully trust God to do as he has promised? Do we recount his promises when doubt, frustration, or turmoil come our way? If we are honest here, we might just have some pretty weak faith when it comes to trusting God to do EXACTLY as he said. We think he 'might' come through, 'might' see fit, 'might' find it within his power. That is some weak trust right there!  Sometimes we add, "God, if it is your will...", to one of God's promised actions, but we are showing we don't fully trust him. For example, Go...

Don’t let the excitement of youth cause you to forget your Creator. Honor him in your youth before you grow old and say, “Life is not pleasant anymore.” (Ecclesiastes 12:1 NLT) Remember him - this whole chapter is riddled with those two words. Before our eyes fail, our legs become wobbly, or our hair fades to grey - remember him. While there is yet time, remember him. We might need that reminder this morning - to take time out of the busy day we have ahead and just remember his goodness, grace, and love. That should spark a note of gratitude from deep within our souls, bringing praise to our lips and worship from our spirit. The excitement of youth might just be the things that come into our days, filling them to capacity and sometimes beyond it. We make plans, set out to execute them, taken on more plans, and set things in motion to see those through. All the while, we forgot to take time to execute the most important plan of our day - remembering him. In this moment, if that is you, ...

Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. (Romans 12:15 NLT) We all know it is easier to be happy with someone than it might be to come alongside them when they grieve, feel under the weather, or are just plain depressed. "Sadness" is a condition that has a profound impact on our minds, bodies, and even our spirit. Unwanted life events, unexpected health concerns, and even a lack of sleep can lead a person into times of feeling more than a bit 'off' in some form, right? How do we handle those moments when they are not our own - when another isn't 'quite right'? Scripture reminds us to be there for them - to come alongside and even to feel their sadness and grief. Ups and downs come - they are part of life. We cannot avoid some of them, even if we try. Things like relationship woes might not be the easiest to deal with, but they come, don't they? Health fails us at some point, no matter how well we take care of ourselves. The eve...

But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God. (Acts 20:24 NLT) The work assigned - what is the work God has assigned to you on this earth? Now, don't go saying that you have no clue. If you have this misguided idea that only 'some' are 'called' to be used by God on this earth, you need to change your way of thinking. God has given you specific talents or abilities - use them! It doesn't have to be pulpit ministry - it could be driving a nail with a hammer. You say that is your profession, but you don't see it as a ministry - a calling in your life. Like it or not, even your 'profession' is a 'calling'! God can use you in whatever capacity he has enabled you to be used - you just need to realize it isn't the 'pulpit' that matters. Finish the work - don't be half-cocked or half-baked in your commi...

For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes. (Galatians 3:26-27 NLT) Like putting on new clothes. Do you remember getting new clothes as a child? It was kind of exciting, wasn't it? You'd get those shiny new shoes, perfectly pressed outfit, and perhaps even new underwear. You'd don these with a sense of pride almost. You'd feel special. Why would it be any different when we receive Christ into our lives? It is like putting on new clothes - perfect in every way - a special gift that makes all of our life 'special'. As we place our faith in Christ's finished work on Calvary, we put off the old, dirty, shabby clothes of our sinful nature. We don the fresh, new, and perfect clothes of our new nature which only Christ can provide. We don't just get 'new clothes' though. When you got those new clothes as a child, didn't your mom o...

You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. (James 1:19 NLT) "Seek first to understand, then be understood." (Stephen Covey) Okay, who among us is quick to speak, slow to listen? Raise your hand - come on, go ahead, admit it. We can all be this way from time to time, some of us more intent on being heard than we are on hearing. As Covey indicated, we must seek first to understand - until we do, all our speaking will be in vain. They will just be words that hit the air and dissipate. The believer isn't immune to communication faux pas. We get it wrong as much as we get it right on occasion. The more we learn about how Jesus listened to people, hearing their heart, observing their actions, seeing their trust - the more he connected with them. Trust is built when we seek to understand the other person rather than imposing our thoughts and ideals upon them. The 'quick to listen' part of this instruction requires more discipline than we might...

Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them. (Ephesians 4:29 NLT) "The two words 'information' and 'communication' are often used interchangeably, but they signify quite different things. Information is giving out; communication is getting through." (Sydney J. Harris) We all have tried to communicate with others, only to find what we thought we were getting through to them was actually 'lost in interpretation' somewhere along the way. They come away feeling confused, frustrated, hurt, at a loss. You thought you 'got through' only to find you added fuel to a smoldering fire or set up things for a doozie of a fight somewhere in what you were saying. Words have an impact, but God asks us to use them in such a manner so as to be helpful, encouraging, and in some way so that what is said is actually heard. I daresay that most of what we consider to be 'communicating' is nothi...

We should help others do what is right and build them up in the Lord. (Romans 15:2 NLT) I have had both good and bad influences in my life. As a child, I was kind of a follower, doing whatever the others in my neighborhood did. As an adult, I had to reconsider some of my decisions, though. Not all of those choices were wise. Some of the people I hung around with influenced me in a very positive way, while others didn't quite have the same effect. The longer we live, the greater the chances are that we will encounter both good and bad influences. The choice as to which to follow, and thus become, is ours! We can be quick to point out when another is doing wrong with their life, making unwise choices that don't actually do much to improve their life and possibly even making it a bit worse in the end. Do we consistently do what is right in our own lives? It is likely that we struggle a bit to make wise choices from time to time. The hope is that those unwise choices aren't co...

Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. (Romans 12:9 NLT) "Today you are you! That is truer than true! There is no one alive who is you-er than you!" (Dr. Seuss) How about you? Are you free to be the 'real you' with those around you? If not, it may be that you are surrounding yourself with others who feel being 'real' isn't important. I am blessed to be around 'real people' who encourage me to be the 'real me'. Why is this important? We cannot 'pretend' our way through life - we need to be exactly who we are, all the quirks and blessings of our personality traits blended together. Pretending is putting on airs - it is speaking or acting in a way that appears to present one 'front' but is masking another set of behaviors or attitudes that we don't want others to see. It is hard to live that way for long, though. We need to be free to live genuine lives - even...

Love the Lord, all you godly ones! For the Lord protects those who are loyal to him, but he harshly punishes the arrogant. So be strong and courageous, all you who put your hope in the Lord! (Psalm 31:23-24 NLT) The Lord protects those who are loyal to him - does that protection extend to you? If not, there is no time like the present to come under that protection! Wherever we put our trust determines our safety in times of trouble and turmoil, doesn't it? If we trust in the bathtub over the storm cellar in a tornado, we might not do as well, right? If we trust in God with all our heart, we will do well to not only 'manage' during the storms of life but come out the other side stronger. What does it mean to be loyal to him? If we were honest here, we'd have to admit our 'loyalty' is sometimes quite divided, is it not? We trust him with the hard stuff, but the stuff we think we can figure out on our own, well we just plunge right on through that without even stop...

William Shakespeare reminded us, "No legacy is so rich as honesty." Where would we be today if this world we live in would adhere to this belief? If no one sought anything but honesty in relationships, what depth would those relationships be able to attain? If honesty was the standard by which we do business, where would the profits of a company soar? Honesty is UNDERRATED these days. The gimmick, quick cover-up, and the facade all play an active part in our society, don't they? Wouldn't it be nice if these things were no longer the way we live? The Lord detests the use of dishonest scales, but he delights in accurate weights. Pride leads to disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom. Honesty guides good people; dishonesty destroys treacherous people. Riches won’t help on the day of judgment, but right living can save you from death. The godly are directed by honesty; the wicked fall beneath their load of sin. (Proverbs 11:1-5 NLT) Honesty requires vulnerability and tha...