The Plumbline

21  So get rid of everything evil in your lives—every kind of wrong you do. Be humble and accept God’s teaching that is planted in your hearts. This teaching can save you.  22  Do what God’s teaching says; don’t just listen and do nothing. When you only sit and listen, you are fooling yourselves.   23  Hearing God’s teaching and doing nothing is like looking at your face in the mirror  24  and doing nothing about what you saw. You go away and immediately forget how bad you looked.   25  But when you look into God’s perfect law that sets people free, pay attention to it. If you do what it says, you will have God’s blessing. Never just listen to his teaching and forget what you heard. (James 1:21-25 ERV) There are definitely times when I take a gander in the mirror early some mornings when my first inclination is just to turn away, believing there is absolutely no help! Hair askew, blemishes seeming to bud out of nowhere overnight, and eyes ...

All scripture is given for our benefit - all truth given for our use.  Yet, something given is not of value until it is put into use, is it?  When you receive a gift of a new blender for the kitchen, or perhaps a new toaster, the small appliance looks pretty in the box.  You can even open the box and place the new appliance on the kitchen counter, but if this is as far as you ever get to using the new appliance, it really doesn't serve you any purpose.  You could even plug it into the outlet to be "hooked up" to electrical power, but if the appliance is never turned to the "on" position, all the electrical power could do is of no benefit.  Even if you put a couple pieces of bread into the toaster, or some berries into the blender, until you engage the "on" switch, the appliance still doesn't do all it could do.  Once the toast is popped up, nicely golden, or the berries are swirled into a smoothie, even those promising things contained within the ...

It is an act of seeing which allows us to perceive many times.  We could become alert to something happening through our other senses of hearing, touch, or smell, but seeing is what often "connects the dots" for us.  Some call this being a "visual learner" - we can read all about it, but once we see it done a couple of times, we've got it!  Without seeing, we just don't have the same perception, do we?  Yet, it is possible to "bypass" this element of perception - functioning pretty well, as a matter of fact - but...we miss out on the splendor of color, the mystery of the twinkle in someone's eye, and the awing wonder of following the trail of a jet high up in the sky.  We function, but we don't "get the full picture" when our seeing is not connected to our perceiving. If people can’t see what God is doing,   they stumble all over themselves; b ut when they attend to what he reveals,  they are most blessed. (Proverbs 29:18 MSG...

I helped a friend get a new phone yesterday.  It was time to upgrade and we wanted to explore the options.  I am always amazed at just how smart technology becomes and just how reliant we all become on this "smart" technology!  There is an "app" for everything!  Except "little things" like ...being agreeable, being sympathetic, acting in a loving manner, exercising compassion, and living in a truly humble manner!  Now, when they develop these "apps", I will be first in line to sign up for them! Summing up: Be agreeable, be sympathetic, be loving, be compassionate, be humble. That goes for all of you, no exceptions. No retaliation. No sharp-tongued sarcasm. Instead, bless—that's your job, to bless. You'll be a blessing and also get a blessing.  (1 Peter 3:8-9 The Message) Wouldn't it be nice to be able to push a button, work through a few simple steps and "poof"...we came across as agreeable in "tough" conversat...