The Plumbline

Life Hack #6: Do you ever watch those "do it yourself" remodeling programs? They have so many inspiring ways to do the hard work, often at a fraction of the cost of having someone else do it. I don't tackle many of those projects myself because I don't possess the know-how or muscle, but I time to do them. I "want" the nice back splash, shiny new vanity, and hardwood floors, but I won't be "doing" the work! Do you ever struggle with wanting what the "rich and famous" seem to have at their disposal? Or maybe just seeing someone who seems to have a little better home, car, or wardrobe than you do? You get all these ideas in your head about how "nice" all their "amenities" are, and you forget how absolutely blessed you already are! "Life Hack #6" is to be content with what we have so much of already. When you go out to dinner with an influential person, mind your manners: Don’t gobble your food, don’t t...

But what happens when we live God’s way ? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely. Legalism is helpless in bringing this about; it only gets in the way. Among those who belong to Christ, everything connected with getting our own way and mindlessly responding to what everyone else calls necessities is killed off for good—crucified. (Galatians 5:22-23) I have run into people over the years that ask why I chose to follow Christ. They aren't asking because they are curious so much, but because their 'view' of being a 'Christ-follower' means I must be a total 'rule follower'...

We probably have all observed a fly buzzing frantically at the window, hitting himself repeatedly on the translucent glass. We hear the frenzied beat of those wings, coupled with the impact of his tiny body upon the glass. We probably all believe he is trying to get out again - but I have a question - if we call them house-flies, then isn't it logical they like it in the house? There are "stable-flies" and they are supposed to live in the stable, but do they find themselves constantly beating their tiny bodies into the barn walls all day long? Not usually because they are too busy enjoying their life of annoying the livestock in the barn and feeding on the byproduct of their waste! I wonder if the house-fly is buzzing so frantically at the window because it is discontent with where it is, or is it just silly enough to believe there is something more of the "house" beyond that translucent pane of glass? Life as a fly must be pretty different for the house-fly be...

We are made  free - we didn't get there on our own.  It isn't like we somehow did a "Harry Houdini" act and came out of the chains and locks "magically" - regardless of whether they were emotional, spiritual, or physical bonds.  We needed a deliverer.  I know I didn't possess the emotional stability to bring myself out of the places of depression I've experienced on occasion in my life. I also know I didn't possess the physical stamina to withstand the bonds of the things which physically wanted to keep me back like chronic pain.  We don't act as our own "deliverer" in this life - we are "made" free from those things which hold us in bondage - we aren't "making a way toward freedom" on our own.  To attempt this is as dangerous and unreliable as thinking we could find our way out of the chains and locks while submerged head first under water like Houdini. The world wants us to believe the "illusion"...

There are definitely times when we need to just tell someone how "boxed in" we are feeling at the moment.  It could be pressures from work piling up uncontrollably around us, or the bills of a few unexpected expenses which are now coming due, but regardless of the cause of the "boxed in" feelings, there is not much joy in them.  In fact, they are probably eliciting some fear, that little bit of anxiety mixed with frustration, and can even be creating undue physical pressures within our bodies which we now have to "manage", as well.  The scriptures are filled with examples of people feeling "boxed in", ranging from an entire nation of Israelites standing before the Red Sea with a vast amount of enemy forces closing in on them in hot pursuit, to the feelings of being alone and abandoned in a foreign country as a couple of widowed foreigners. Regardless of the cause, our sense of being "boxed in" can be overwhelming to us on occasion - el...

I like to watch those "do it yourself" programs, or remodels of homes on the various cable channels which offer them.  They have so many inspiring ways to do the remodel, often with only a fraction of the cost of having someone else do it.  Yet, I don't tackle many of those projects myself because I don't possess the know-how, muscle, or time to do them.  I "want" the nice counter tops, back splash, and the like, but I won't be "doing" them anytime soon - at least not with my own effort!  Do you ever struggle with wanting what the "rich and famous" seem to have at their disposal?  Or maybe just seeing someone who seems to have a little better home, car, or wardrobe than you do?  You get all these ideas in your head about how "nice" all their "amenities" are and you forget how absolutely blessed you already are! When you go out to dinner with an influential person,   mind your manners: Don’t gobble your food,...

Do you know what "because" means?  In the simplest of terms, it refers to a "direct reason" for something occurring.  In fact, if we were to look at the origin of the word, we would find it stems from the term "by cause".  When we are reading through scripture and come to the word "because", it is kind of like when we come to the word "therefore".  We need to stop and pay attention to these "little" words we may just gloss over at first.  "Because" sets out the reason for something occurring - some action happening.  "Therefore" refers to some set of facts already established acting as the reason we can move to the next thought or action.  These words are rich in meaning, as they give us a point of reference for the "reason" we can believe or act upon what it is we are reading.  As my kids were growing up, it was the hardest thing to not answer their questions with a "Because I said so, that...

If you have ever just gone about doing whatever it was you felt like doing without any real concern for how it would end, or what it may bring for the long run, you probably have come to the conclusion this way of "living free" isn't really "freedom" at all.  In fact, the more you do whatever it is you want to do without regard to the consequences, the more difficult it is to work your way back from where those indiscretions let you end up.  If you don't believe me, remember the last time you worked hard at changing the way you ate, losing a few pounds in the process.  Then remember the day you chose to eat just a little treat or two, then the next, and then the larger portions, etc.  In the end, you probably not only put on the weight you lost, but gained a few more pounds in the process.  It wasn't "that big of a deal" when you were indulging, but now that the jeans no longer fit and the buttons are not quite meeting in the middle, you might...

The book of Jeremiah is not light reading.  In fact, the majority of the book deals with repeated sin and willful disobedience.  In the end, there is major catastrophe after catastrophe for Judah.  They choose to worship other gods, offering special offerings to the Queen of Heaven.  They demand their own way, escaping to Egypt, when clearly told to stay in their own land.  They slaughter their enemies, hiding the dead bodies from the kings who would come to attack them - in a cistern!  If anyone tells me the Bible is boring, I'd have to tell them to get a different translation and read it again!  After reading all this, I came to the chapter forty-six: God's decree of judgment, but also his announcement of mercy! "But you, dear Jacob my servant, you have nothing to fear.   Israel, there's no need to worry.   Look up! I'll save you from that far country,  I'll get your children out of the land of exile.   Things are going to ...

Joshua is about to turn over the control of the nation at the point of his death.  He gathers the leaders, priests, and elders together.  In the moments which pass, he gives them sound advice on how God expects them to live in the land they have been given.  His first piece of advice:  Stay alert!  Why?  It was because the work was not done - nations still had to be dealt with.  His second piece of advice:  Stay strong and steady!  Why?  There would be much influence around them to do what would get them into big trouble.  In warning them to stay strong and steady, he is advising them on living by the principles God set out in his word.  Then he comes to this third piece of advice: "Now, vigilantly guard your souls: Love  God , your God. Because if you wander off and start taking up with these remaining nations still among you (intermarry, say, and have other dealings with them), know for certain that  God , your Go...

1  Christ has set us free to live a free life. So take your stand! Never again let anyone put a harness of slavery on you. (Galations 5:1 The Message) We begin today with a very succinct message - if you are declared to be free, walk free!  One of the greatest privileges we enjoy within the United States are the many "liberties" we are granted by our Constitution.  The very basis of our country's existence came out of the struggle for freedom - from religious bondage, overbearing taxes, insufficient work opportunities, expensive luxuries, etc.   Now, if we were just to look upon those "freedoms" as "nice" and then live in the same bondage our founding fathers were trying to escape when coming to this country, wouldn't it be silly?  In this entire book of Galations, Paul has laid out the plan to have anyone who has been declared "free" to live exactly as a "free person".   Paul emphasizes who sets us free - Ch...

17-18 Have some of you noticed that we are not yet perfect? (No great surprise, right?) And are you ready to make the accusation that since people like me, who go through Christ in order to get things right with God, aren't perfectly virtuous, Christ must therefore be an accessory to sin? The accusation is frivolous. If I was "trying to be good," I would be rebuilding the same old barn that I tore down. I would be acting as a charlatan. (Galations 2:17-18 The Message) There is a Christian dilemma (let me call it a mis-belief) that we often hear people speak about whenever they are struggling with sin in their lives - it is that they "think" they are supposed to be perfect just because they gave their lives to Jesus!  If I am about to burst anyone's bubble here, let me apologize in advance, but we are NOT perfect!  We are NOT perfectly virtuous - we STILL sin! Paul knew that this would be a huge "bug-a-boo" in the church, so he addresses it in his...

1-4  That's when King Herod got it into his head to go after some of the church members. He murdered James, John's brother. When he saw how much it raised his popularity ratings with the Jews, he arrested Peter—all this during Passover Week, mind you—and had him thrown in jail, putting four squads of four soldiers each to guard him. He was planning a public lynching after Passover.   5 All the time that Peter was under heavy guard in the jailhouse, the church prayed for him most strenuously.   6 Then the time came for Herod to bring him out for the kill. That night, even though shackled to two soldiers, one on either side, Peter slept like a baby. And there were guards at the door keeping their eyes on the place. Herod was taking no chances! (Acts 12:1-6) The message of Christ has always brought some form of conviction - some deal with that conviction with repentance, while others resist with all that is within.  Herod was the Roman ruler over Judea - his "title" wa...