The Plumbline

I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. 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 3:16-19) I cannot get enough of Paul's letters to the church. There is so much within those short letters that can uplift our spirit, bring conviction where necessary, and draw us closer to Jesus. As Paul begins this prayer for those he is ministering to, it is also for all future generations of believers. I think Paul saw the tip of the iceberg when he saw his reach into the 'then known world', but he also had the faith to see bey...

Blessed [joyful, nourished by God’s goodness] are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness [those who actively seek right standing with God], for they will be [completely] satisfied. (Matthew 5:6) I like to read a passage in the Amplified Bible from time to time because it expands the original text with helpful meaning as you will observe in the box brackets above. When we limit our understanding of a word to what we commonly use that word to describe, we often miss the deeper meaning of the word when it is used in context in scripture. Blessed really carries the expanded meaning of 'nourished by God's goodness' or 'joyful'. Either way, it describes both being protected by God and having all our needs taken care of in only the way he can. Joyfulness is the result of being in relationship with him - seeking that 'right standing' with him. It comes because we enter into a place where all we thought we needed in this world really pales in comparison to wh...

Riches and glory come from you, you’re ruler over all; You hold strength and power in the palm of your hand to build up and strengthen all. (I Chronicles 29:11) This is only part of the verse, but it is that last sentence that captured my attention this morning. I took a short walk by myself as the morning began to heat up around here and spent some time just meditating on what God was going to have me 'do' once I move into my retirement. I asked questions, pondered the family, thought about my best friend, heard him remind me of some things I had desired to do 'when I had time', and then I just plain listened. You might just be overwhelmed with the sense of his presence and the strength that comes as he builds you up in it. God really does hold all strength and power in the palm of his hands - to build up and strengthen us all.  As I pondered my next steps, I spent some time thanking God for what he has done for me in the realm of my finances - making it possible for...