The Plumbline

Ask me and I will tell you remarkable secrets you do not know about things to come. (Jeremiah 33:3 NLT) What remarkable secrets is God just waiting to unfold for you if you'd only ask? The issue is not that we have a stingy, secretive God - it is that we don't ask him to reveal those 'hidden things'. The more we seek God's wisdom, the more he unfolds it. Scripture reminds us, "If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking." (James 1:5) He is indeed a generous God and delights in unveiling our eyes. Veiled eyes may see, but do they see as clearly as when the veil is removed? Absolutely not! The veil over our eyes may seem like it is 'permanent', so we just live with the uncertainties it creates. God's hope is that we will seek his help in removing it so we can see clearly all the things he delights in showing his children. Remarkable secrets - things we didn't even know were part of...

Through your faithful prayers and the generous response of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, everything he wants to do in and through me will be done. (Philippians 1:20 MSG) Our passage today comes after Paul was placed in prison, held for preaching the gospel message. He had such hope of his release, eventual continuation of his apostolic journeys, and the continued establishment of new churches throughout the then known world. He never got out of prison, though. His circumstances did not change, yet he continued to do what God called him to do, regardless of how his life seemed to be changing for what others may have seen as the worst possible thing. Even in his imprisoned state, whether in a jail cell or under some form of Roman house arrest, he continued to do what God put on his heart. It is indeed a good thing to fulfill what God beckons us to do - to have hope that the mission he has called us to perform will continue even when the circumstances seem to be pointing us in a different ...

Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand. (Isaiah 41:10 NLT) Fear is frequently based in either the past (what we have done or what has been done to us), or it is based in the future (what is about to happen to us or what has to still be done). We rarely remain in the present in our thinking. Whenever we go back to the past failures, we get down on ourselves and see ourselves as having no way of escape - it is like we believe what is about to happen is inevitable. Whenever we focus entirely on the future, we find ourselves being overcome with the anxiety of 'not knowing'. The 'what ifs' of the future can be as daunting as living with our past failures - either one of these scenarios will give us anxiety and might even hold us paralyzed by their overwhelming emotions. Remaining current is important - we should ask God what he wants from us TODAY. It...

Because we have these promises, dear friends, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that can defile our body or spirit. And let us work toward complete holiness because we fear God. (2 Corinthians 7:1 NLT) What promises? Look back one verse and you will read: "And I will be your Father, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty." Sons and daughters - living in us and walking among us - those are the promises referenced here. The more we understand just how much God wants us to enjoy his presence among us, the more we will desire to live in such a way that constantly welcomes him into our lives. There is much to be said about the presence of God, but none more important than the sense of awe and holiness we experience when we enter into it. There is no room for our 'sinful shenanigans in his presence. That is why we might feel a little conviction whenever we enter into his presence after making some form of sinful compromise in our lives. We are ...

It wasn’t so long ago that you were mired in that old stagnant life of sin. You let the world, which doesn’t know the first thing about living, tell you how to live. You filled your lungs with polluted unbelief and then exhaled disobedience. We all did it, all of us doing what we felt like doing, when we felt like doing it, all of us in the same boat. (Ephesians 2:1-2 MSG) Whatever came of our 'old man'? No, not your father, your old nature - the one that used to find it so easy to run toward sin. It wasn't hard for us to compromise and choose sin because we allowed the world and all its enticements to tell us how to live our lives. The loudest voice received our attention - the 'coolest' or 'newest' fad took us in. We chose to listen to the advice of worldly counselors instead of the voice of God. No wonder we fell so easily into the traps the enemy of our souls set to ensnare us! What we fill our minds with eventually becomes the very things that lead to a...

For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are. But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. (Romans 3:20-24 NLT) As believers in Christ, we must forsake the desire to 'make ourselves right' by any other means than faith in the finished work of Jesus at the cross. We are always going to think we could just 'be a little better' because that is human nature. We can never be 'more better' than we are in Christ Jesus! We are our 'best' in him - nothing we do or say can change us quite in the same way as trusting in him can do within us. We are made right with Christ Jesus - that means we might not see all the change he has done in us, but...

Billy Sunday once said, "Temptation is the devil looking through the keyhole. Yielding is opening the door and inviting him in." Too many of us see the key in the keyhole, just assuming it must be opened, but a key in the keyhole doesn't mean we ever have to unlock the door! We maintain the right as to who and what we let into our lives - we can deny entrance to all manner of compromise and sin with the help of the Holy Spirit, our conscience, and scripture! The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure. (I Corinthians 10:13 NLT) I have heard some say that their 'temptation' is unique - nobody else deals with what they deal with. This is particularly true of the addict. Often their justification for their repeated return to the addicting object, whether it be drug, alcohol, food, o...

Be sure you put your feet in the right place, then stand firm. (Abraham Lincoln) Take your stand with God’s loyal community and live, or chase after phantoms of evil and die. (Proverbs 11:19 MSG) We all stand for something or someone. We choose who or what we will 'stand for' each day. We either choose God, self, or others - our opinion, the opinion of others, or the wisdom of God. The choice is really quite simple to me, but I can struggle with listening too much to either the opinion of others or my own just a bit too frequently. How about you? Do you really choose God's wisdom over human emotion, opinion, or 'trending fad' as frequently as you'd like? Do you sometimes get swayed by media, popular opinion of your acquaintances, or other external source? I have learned to read the reviews for online products because the honesty of some will sway me away from making the purchase, or it will convince me that the product meets the highest standards I desire. When ...

As a well-spent day brings happy sleep, so a life well spent brings happy death.  (Leonardo da Vinci) Mortals make elaborate plans, but God has the last word. Humans are satisfied with whatever looks good; God probes for what is good. Put God in charge of your work, then what you’ve planned will take place. (Proverbs 16:1-3 MSG) Whatever a man pursues with purpose and passion will determine the outcome of that course of action. If the course of action is 'flawed' in any manner, the plan may have been good, but the outcome may not be as planned. The man or woman who desires a 'positive' outcome to life choices must first submit one's life to the leadership of Christ Jesus, then be committed to submitting their choices to him prior to launching out on their journey. The elaborate plans of man to find some 'good' in life are as varied as the sands of the sea. Mankind has always looked for ways to 'do things themselves' but that hasn't always wor...

God is a safe place to hide, ready to help when we need him. We stand fearless at the cliff-edge of doom, courageous in sea storm and earthquake, Before the rush and roar of oceans, the tremors that shift mountains. Jacob-wrestling God fights for us, God-of-Angel-Armies protects us. (Psalm 46:1 MSG) If you face something uncertain today, how will you face it? Alone, attempting to build up your 'faith' to face it? Alongside a companion, both working hard to just 'make it through'? Or with the presence and safety of our heavenly Father, secure in his protection and built up in faith that isn't based in what we can 'muster up' in our own strength. We need one another, don't get me wrong. We need to build one another up in faith - this is God's plan. We cannot count on each other alone, though - we need God to be in the midst of us. The strength that comes when God is walking us through those difficult places is nothing we should take for granted. That ...

What’s the price of two or three pet canaries? Some loose change, right? But God never overlooks a single one. And he pays even greater attention to you, down to the last detail—even numbering the hairs on your head! So don’t be intimidated by all this bully talk. You’re worth more than a million canaries. (Luke 12:6-7 MSG) We have a bully for an enemy and he employs 'bullies' right here on this earth to attempt to dissuade us from following Jesus with our whole heart, mind, body, and soul. He uses people - you heard me right - he uses other people to discourage you, get you distracted, and hopefully pull you off-course. What is worse is when we allow our own self-talk to 'bully' us into believing lies about ourselves! God cares more about us than any other creature roaming this earth. Yet, he takes special care and maintains a watchful eye over all creatures, big and small. If he is watchful of their needs, how they find their way in life, what makes us so willing to ...

It isn't the mountains ahead to climb that wear you out; it's the pebble in your shoe. (Mohammed Ali) You can’t whitewash your sins and get by with it; you find mercy by admitting and leaving them. (Proverbs 28:13 MSG) I once heard a sermon about the pebble in one's shoe. The longer you ignored it was there, the more damage it caused. It would cause a sore where it caused pressure, wearing a hole in your sock, and eventually breaking down your skin. The quicker one sat down to remove the pebble, the sooner one would be relieved of the pressure. The moral was that all sin is like a pebble in one's shoe - the sooner one confesses it, turning away from it, the quicker one would have the 'pressure' or 'weight' of the sin removed from their lives. The damage that little sin could cause was significant if not repented! The pebble actually didn't give the one with it in their shoe any sense of comfort. Trying to just move it out of the way didn't do the...

Those who love your instructions have great peace and do not stumble. (Psalm 119:165 NLT) God's commandments are burdensome and 'too rigid' for those who have never placed their trust in them. The more we discover the truths in his Word, the more we realize there is a great deal of safety and security in following his instructions. Yet, we sometimes don't do a very good job following those commands, right? What happens when we choose to ignore one or more of his commands? Do we face his condemnation? If we try to rationalize our disobedience, we may actually experience the consequences of that disobedience, but even that is not his condemnation. The more we discover about God through his Word, the more we realize that our failure at obedience is not the end - there is grace available to those who seek it. It would be much better if we never stumbled, right? It is pretty unrealistic to think we will believe everything God says the first time we are exposed to his trut...

Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track. (Proverbs 3:5-6 MSG) What do we trust without even thinking about it? We get in our cars and hit the ignition button, just trusting it will turn over and we will be on our way without delay. When the car battery is rundown, corrosion amassed on the connections, or simply just too old to work any longer, will we be on our way? Nope - we will need a jump, recharge, or a new battery! What we 'counted on' failed us. When we count on stuff, people, or events to be or go as they should, we might just find we are disappointed from time to time. When we count on God to be who he always is, we will never be disappointed. If you have ever been in a muddle or quandary about a situation, you probably have done some of the common things we all do. You utilize a 'plus/minus' list of the var...

Your message brings light to people, when they understand it. It helps ordinary people to become wise. (Psalm 119:130 EASY) Ordinary people with the wisdom of God - now isn't that a pretty amazing thought? The more we press into God's Word, the more his wisdom becomes part of who we are. The 'ordinary' become wise - not with 'common sense', but with wisdom that is born from the very heart of God himself. His message brings light. How? It is a message of redemption. Anyone who has messed something up by some particular action will tell you that a chance at a 'do-over' can bring 'redemption' of sorts. When we didn't get a passing grade on our exam and the teacher announced we could retake it, that gave us a renewed sense of hope - hope for a passing grade. When God gives us light, he is showing us that our mess isn't going to be our undoing - it is the place where he can begin to reveal himself. I am not alone in this - we all mess up on o...

 But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not look at how handsome or how tall Eliab is. I have not chosen him. The Lord does not look at people in the way that people do. People look at the face and body of a person. But the Lord sees what they are like inside.’ (I Samuel 16:7 EASY) If you have tried to be a people-pleaser at any point in your life, you know just how difficult it is to always be who they say you should be, do what they say you should do, and find direction is whatever it is they say they find direction in. People look at us and 'see' an image of what they believe us to be, but they also project upon us what they expect us to be based on some 'image' they have of what we should be. Their standard isn't always that easy to measure up to, is it? They project an image that won't make us comfortable if we conform to it. It isn't what God made us to be - the way he sees us matters and we must never lose sight of the 'image' he created when he cre...

He said, ‘I am the Lord who made the earth. I gave a shape to it and I put it in its place. The Lord is my name. I say this to you: “Call out to me and I will answer you. I will tell you about great things. They are secret things that you do not yet know.”' (Jeremiah 33:2-3 EASY) Great things - secret things - that you do not know YET. Did you catch that? When we call out to God, he is never too busy to reveal the hidden to those who seek him with all their hearts. Most of the time, the hidden things remain hidden because we don't ask for him to reveal them. We know bits and pieces, things we have ferreted out on our own, but we don't see what he does in order for all those bits and pieces to come together. Those things may take a while for us to understand, but when we call out, he begins to reveal to us what otherwise may have remained hidden. God gives 'shape' to our lives - making a 'place' for everything we experience. The good and the bad can be used ...

But be careful to do what God says in his message. Do not only listen to it. Do not make that mistake! You must obey God's message. Do not be like a man who quickly looks at his face in a mirror. That man looks at himself, but then he goes away. He immediately forgets what he is really like. So do not just listen to God's message and then forget it. It is a completely good message that makes people free. Look at it carefully and keep it in your mind. Do what it tells you to do. God will bless anyone who lives in that way. (James 1:22-25) If you have ever asked, "But why?", at any point in your life, you might have received varying replies. "I said so, that's why!" "Because it is the right thing to do." "Just do it!" The list could go on, but you know as well as I do, if you are questioning the 'but why' of any action, there is something either you don't understand or you don't want to do. If we don't understand fu...

Your commands make me wiser than my enemies. They are always in my thoughts. Your teaching helps me to understand things, so I hate anything that is false. (Psalm 119:98, 104) If you want to resist something, you need to build the 'strength' to resist it. We take Vitamin C to help us build our immune system so we might be less susceptible to viruses. We build bone and muscle strength by working out at the gym. We build financial 'buffers' by saving an emergency fund for the 'just in case' scenarios that may arise like that unexpected car repair. We build to resist. Why would it be any different with our spiritual strength? We build character by a steady intake of the Word of God and a consistent application of it in our lives.  One of the primary reasons we study his Word is so we may be able to combat any lies the enemy might throw our way. Trust me on this one, if the enemy can mask any form of a lie with the smallest amount of truth, he will. We need to kn...

Lord, your teaching will always be there. You keep it safe in heaven. You continue to show that people can trust you, from one century to the next. You have fixed the earth in its place, and it will remain. I will never forget your rules, because you have used them to give me life. (Psalm 119:89-90, 93) We aren't going to find anything else that endures as well as God's truth - it is enduring, trustworthy, and without a doubt, the most reliable teaching we will ever receive. What we do with it might not be as reliable, though! We can accept it, reject it, or do a half-hearted commitment to it. There will always be some who will outright reject the validity of God's Word, while others will empathically state it truth without really allowing it to embrace them, changing the way they 'operate' in their daily lives. God's hope is that we will both delight in his Word AND allow it to change the way we live. Why? He knows as long as we rely upon human wisdom above ...

Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! (Matthew 5:14-15 MSG) Some of us need to hear that we are here on this earth to be light - bringing out the God-colors in this world is our mission - he has chosen us to display his goodness, grace, and love, so shine! Light-bearers do more than just hold a candle - they lead others out of darkness into the light. The more we embrace our calling to bear his light within this darkened world, the more his light will shine, not just through one, but corporately! God is not a secret to be kept. Sometimes we keep our Christianity carefully hidden, seemingly afraid of what others may think if they knew we are Christi...

I see the limits to everything human, but the horizons can’t contain your commands! (Psalm 119:96 MSG) In this world, as long as we humans inhabit this space and time, there will be limits to what we can do - although there are no limits to what we can dream. The horizons look like they have an end point - but to be truthful, east and west are limitless. There is no end to the horizon - it continues into infinity. Try to chase that rainbow, seeking the 'pot of gold' at the end of it, and you will soon find you cannot really tell where it begins nor where it ends. God is a big God, and he made a big creation - the finite mind might try to contain all he can do and will do, but it is impossible for the finite to fathom the infinite! WE all have limits - GOD does not. Knowing our limits is a good thing, but trusting God with what goes beyond our limits is an even better thing. We might see a situation as unbearable, but God says he will be with us when trouble comes our way, an...

I’m not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don’t get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I’ve got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I’m off and running, and I’m not turning back. (Philippians 3:12-14 MSG) As you begin your day today, consider this: God sets the course, we take steps along that course, and at some point, we will reach the finish line, if we don't give up. Will we finish well, though? Or will we just barely make it over that finish line, panting, bedraggled, and wasted? The more we 'train' for the race, the better we will be able to run. The more we allow our 'coach' to help us develop our 'skills' to endure the race, the less likely we are to peter out after even a short run! Are you well on your way? If you have started well, but somewhere along the way yo...

Since we have such a huge crowd of men of faith watching us from the grandstands, let us strip off anything that slows us down or holds us back, and especially those sins that wrap themselves so tightly around our feet and trip us up; and let us run with patience the particular race that God has set before us. (Hebrews 12:1 TLB) As we focus on our goals accomplished this week, let us take a moment to examine how we are doing with our 'goal' to be closer to Christ. How well did we do on that one? Did we take time each day to get into his Word, not just with a casual 'look-see', but with intent? Did we find ourselves 'tripping' over some old sin pattern that we thought we'd be able to overcome this week, but didn't do so well with? Did we 'run' toward sin or away from it? Don't despair when your goals aren't met - perhaps they just need a little 'revisit' this week, with a little less of our 'focus' and a little more of God...

Pushed to the wall, I called to God; from the wide-open spaces, he answered. God’s now at my side and I’m not afraid; who would dare lay a hand on me? God’s my strong champion; I flick off my enemies like flies. Far better to take refuge in God than trust in people; Far better to take refuge in God than trust in celebrities. (Psalm 119:5-9 MSG) Have you been thinking that life has 'pushed you to the wall'? As a youngster, there were a couple of times when some bullies pushed me to the wall. I was scared and intimidated by their actions, but I did my best not to show that on the outside. I tried to portray myself as 'strong' and 'tough' in my own way, but I did a miserable job of actually 'standing strong' when push came to shove. I wanted so much to call out for a teacher to come to my rescue, but I had to appear 'tough', so I just took it. When we feel 'hemmed in' by life's challenges, it easy to feel like there is nowhere to turn, b...

Light shines in the darkness for the godly. They do not fear bad news; they confidently trust the Lord to care for them. They are confident and fearless and can face their foes triumphantly. (Psalm 112:3, 7-8 NLT) Wouldn't it be nice to face our foes in triumph instead of always looking over our shoulders to see when the next attack will come? To stand in such confidence so as to not fear the schemes of our enemy the devil is definitely not something we could ever do under our own power or in our own strength. We must have an 'internal strength' that is sure and certain - something we cannot achieve as long as we want to live our lives outside of the protection that comes from knowing and serving Jesus Christ.  The godly don't fear the 'bad news' of the day - and we certainly receive more than our fair share of that these days, don't we? The 'bad news' is so prolific because the 'bad deeds' of so many is pretty prolific, as well. The event...

Light shines in the darkness for the godly. They are generous, compassionate, and righteous. (Psalm 112:4 NLT) Please take note: scripture never says the godly will not face dark times - it says they will have light in the midst of those dark places. We imagine giving our lives to Christ will result in nothing but good times, but we live in a sinful world, complete with an enemy who would love nothing more than to see us deny Christ and choose our own way again. Sometimes the darkness is our own doing because of bad choices we have made, but most of the time, the darkness comes because we live in this sin-filled world. We don't choose it - it just comes. We never need to fear it, though, for we will be the ones with the Light in the midst of all that darkness! Three characteristics of the one who lives 'in the Light': Generosity - the giving of oneself for the good of others; not just out of our abundance, but out of whatever we have been given in the way of talent, weal...

Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom. (Thomas Jefferson) Honesty guides good people; dishonesty destroys treacherous people. (Proverbs 11:3 NLT) The fact that honesty has kind of become 'obsolete' in some circles is not to be taken lightly. There is a constant struggle going on with us attempting to uncover dishonesty in political circles, manipulative online schemes, and advertising that sucks in the gullible. Million-dollar corporations have been formed to 'unmask' the hidden and manipulative online schemes we refer to as scams. Hours upon hours are spent ferreting out hidden agendas in political meeting rooms. All this manipulation of truth can make a soul wary - even when truth comes plainly and unmasked. Good people don't fear honesty - they are not going to compromise their integrity for the pleasure of being accepted by the 'in crowd'. The honest don't fear God's presence - for they know even when they have to be honest about som...

Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” (Matthew 16:15-16 NLT) The disciples were asked a pretty pointed question - Who do you say I am - but today, I'd like to ask something that might help each of us pinpoint that answer. What do our actions say about who Jesus is to us? If our actions are a little too self-centered, focusing on what we get out of the action, we might not really be putting Jesus first in our lives. If our attitude is one that focuses more on what another thinks of us rather than what Jesus thinks of our actions, we might be a little too concerned about pleasing people. You see - our actions might reveal a bit more about who Jesus really is to us than our words do, can't they? The question of who we say Jesus is isn't always best answered by our words - it is best answered by our actions. It is answered in those actions that stem from a heart firmly committed to keeping Jesus f...

I have chosen to be faithful; I have determined to live by your regulations. (Psalm 119:30 NLT) Obedience has been and always will be an active choice we make every day of our lives. We don't choose obedience once and that takes care of all the concerns we could ever have - it starts with the first step, but we never reach our desired destination with just one step in the right direction! The continual renewal of our act of obedience is necessary if we are ever to leave behind our past dealings with sin and the temptation to return to a former way of acting. If we want to grow in Christ, it requires us to live 'determined' lives. Not just 'determined' in the sense of being committed and focused, but 'determined' in the sense of having a clear destination in mind and not veering from that course. Too many times, we see God's path for us as a suggestion - choosing to figure out our own path to 'righteousness' somewhere along the way. That is nothi...

If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts. (I John 1:8-10 NLT) A claim is just an assertion that says something, but is it always backed up by fact? Not always. Miners back in the day tried to stake 'claim' to a vein of gold or silver because it declared it as theirs and no one else could 'lay claim' to that portion of the mining area. How many of those 'claims' left the miners physically spent and financially broke as all was said and done? Probably more than actually paid off big time. Claims don't have to always be backed by fact - they can be misguided beliefs that something exists when it actually does not! To 'claim' to have no sin in our lives is a fallacy straight out of...