The Plumbline

I will bless the Lord who guides me; even at night my heart instructs me. You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever. (Psalm 16:7,11) We can never underestimate the peace our hearts experience when we listen to and follow God's instructions. God's guidance isn't always "consciously sought", for there are times when he just comes to us within the stillness or peacefulness of our night's sleep. We may not even realize he has spoken to us, giving us that much needed direction, until we awaken and feel what he has done. As David says, "You are my Master! All the good things I have come from you." (vs. 2) When we refuse to make ourselves comfortable with the pursuit of this world's treasures, aspirations, or alluring temptations, we might just find we hear God's voice just a little clearer. What does it mean to "be at peace"? I believe it means we aren't swayed...

I love the Lord for hearing me, for listening to my prayers. Yes, he paid attention to me, so I will always call to him whenever I need help. (Psalm 116:1-2) We all experience times when we don't think our words are getting through to God - times when answers are delayed, times going from rough to horrible, and even times when we want to hear from him, but there doesn't seem to be anything coming our way. I haven't found any evidence in scripture that says God doesn't hear some of our prayers, or that he only hears certain ones. Even when the people of old were praying to him with impure hearts, he heard! It is important to understand there may be a reason for God not immediately answering. As soon as we can discover that 'reason', the better! God will not listen to our prayers when we have unconfessed sin in our lives. "I cried out to him for help, and I praised him. If I had been hiding sin in my heart , the Lord would not have listened to me." (Psal...

Once Jesus was in a certain place praying. As he finished, one of his disciples came to him and said, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”... And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. (Luke 11:1, 9-10) Teach us to pray. These are words of gold to our heavenly Father. They are words that will bring down the warriors of heaven on our behalf and send the enemy of our soul running in fear. Prayer is more about coming into connection with God has for us than it is us telling God what it is we need from him. We might think it is all about the request, but God knows in the request comes the opportunity to change things within our hearts and minds that need change. Yes, we express our concerns and bring our needs to him. Yes, we are free t...

A gentle answer will calm a person’s anger, but an unkind answer will cause more anger. (Proverbs 15:1) Our answers matter, so perhaps this is why God asks us to take time to consider the words we deliver. They can build us up, giving us just the right amount of encouragement to take a step forward. They can also tear us down, anchoring us even further into the doubts and frustrations we have at the moment. If we become angered with one another, it could be out of frustration, or even a feeling like we have lost some 'control' in the matter. When things cause us to 'spin' into anger, we say things we might have never intended to say. It is like a leaky pipe, at first not noticed, but eventually it will burst, leaving damage in its wake. All of us get a little irritated at times, no matter how 'godly' we are. It isn't that we have a lifestyle of anger, it is just that we have moments when we are overly tired or overwhelmed by life, and our response may be a ...

 Someone once said they didn't know all the answers, but they enjoyed taking on the questions. I am kind of like that individual. I like the questions - they challenge my mind. I like to see what will come out of pondering an idea - if it will 'fly' or fail doesn't really matter - I just like exploring the idea until I can see it fully. It doesn't escape my attention that each child comes into this world with a 'blank slate' of a mind and before long that mind is exploring all matters of immediate interest. You remember those days if you are a parent - those endless minutes of question after question that seemed so unnecessary - but oh how necessary they were to that little one! As a parent, we might have been a little frustrated by the endless questions, interrupting our 'workflow' and challenging us with slightly odd things like why goats poop nuggets and horses poop 'clods'. Yup, those questions may not make a whole lot of sense, but it wa...

There are some areas of town I really don't like to drive in because the 'intersections' of roads and freeways are just kind of hazardous to one's health and safety! The traffic comes at you from all directions - more than just east or west - it comes from about six different angles, each 'flow' of traffic expecting their own freedom of passage! While I recognize there were great engineers behind the development of these intersection points, I don't think they took into consideration the lack of attentiveness some would pay to these 'way points' in their journey. Sure, they are 'safe' way points - as long as one is paying attention to the posted signs and warning lights! Get distracted at all, or be totally unfamiliar with these places of intersection, and it is pretty risky business to traverse these way points! There are just times in life when we aren't pay as close attention to life's way points as we might need to - way points sp...

There is a right time for everything: A time to be born; A time to die; A time to plant; A time to harvest; A time to kill; A time to heal; A time to destroy; A time to rebuild; A time to cry; A time to laugh; A time to grieve; A time to dance; A time for scattering stones; A time for gathering stones; A time to hug; A time not to hug; A time to find; A time to lose; A time for keeping; A time for throwing away;  A time to tear; A time to repair; A time to be quiet; A time to speak up; A time for loving; A time for hating; A time for war; A time for peace. (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 TLB) In hindsight I can see how some years are different than others - going through them may be like riding a roller coaster of sorts, but when the year is over, I can look back and observe there were subtle differences in those months that passed. Zora Neale Hurston puts it this way: " There are years that ask questions and years than answer ." ...

William Wordsworth said, " Wisdom is oftentimes nearer when we stoop than when we soar ." I would tend to agree, for whenever I have needed great wisdom I find it comes in ways I rarely expected - from places I wouldn't always think to look, or even from the lips of a child. Why is that, I wonder? It may be God isn't always impressed with the more lofty answers - he seeks to inspire with the simple ones. The simplest of answers can be the ones that open the doors wide to great discoveries! Yes, if you want better insight and discernment, and are searching for them as you would for lost money or hidden treasure, then wisdom will be given you and knowledge of God himself; you will soon learn the importance of reverence for the Lord and of trusting him. (Proverbs 2:3-5 TLB) Sometimes it isn't that we cannot find the wisdom we need, it may just be we haven't simplified the question enough to really get at the answer. One of the things I frequently attempt...

42  It is the same way with the resurrection of the dead. Our earthly bodies are planted in the ground when we die, but they will be raised to live forever.   43  Our bodies are buried in brokenness, but they will be raised in glory. They are buried in weakness, but they will be raised in strength.   44  They are buried as natural human bodies, but they will be raised as spiritual bodies. For just as there are natural bodies, there are also spiritual bodies.  (I Corinthians 15:42-44 NLT) Do you ever hold back asking a question because you fear someone may ask you why you ask such "dumb" questions? When I conduct team meetings in which we have to look at the design of our work, or perhaps even redesign something that no longer produces the results we need to see, I ask the team members to not be afraid to ask questions. These questions are often those that will clarify an objective, get at the root of a system issue we must address before we can move on...

1   God , who gets invited to dinner at your place?  How do we get on your guest list?    2  "Walk straight, a ct right,  tell the truth.    3-4  Don't hurt your friend,  don't blame your neighbor;  despise the despicable.    5  Keep your word even when it costs you,  make an honest living,           never take a bribe.   You'll never get   blacklisted   if you live like this." (Psalm 15 The Message) David was a man after God's own heart.  I often consider what this really means.  It seems that my "heart" can often betray me - so I am reluctant to "follow it" sometimes!  In all the practicality of day-to-day life, David takes a little time to listen to what God tells him.  He asks God a question, then he actually stops long enough to listen for God's answer.  I think that is what it is like to have a heart after G...