The Plumbline

The price one is willing to pay for something says a whole lot about the 'something' they are about to purchase and the person who is willing to pay such a price! We are 'bought' with a price far too great for us to pay, but which suggests the absolute extreme value of what we are to the one who does the purchasing. A price too great for us to pay - our salvation - purchased by the life of another - the Son of God himself. That one purchase moved us into the unique position of being another's possession - owned but tremendously loved and cherished beyond measure. What does being 'owned by Christ' carry for us? Can you be bought, but not really owned? Is that even possible? I think it just may be! Don't you see that you can't live however you please, squandering what God paid such a high price for? The physical part of you is not some piece of property belonging to the spiritual part of you. God owns the whole works. So let people see God in and thr...

Build upon what you have been given. This past weekend had a slight break in the absolutely hot weather, so I took advantage of putting together a stand for a friend's bike. The project had been lingering on my 'to do' list for way too long. As I thought about how to go about building this piece, I had many options, but I chose to 're-purpose' reclaimed wood to make the project's base. It was two inch thick pieces about five inches wide wood from some pallets I disassembled some time ago. Dried, solid, and beyond the degree of strength of the stuff I could get at the local builder's store, I chose to 'build upon what I had been given', so to speak. It turned out to make a very solid base to support the cruiser bike. We might not think that we can build upon much in our spiritual life, but one of the ways we can is to choose to build upon what we have been given and then to develop 'alert discipline' in its use. To a strong moral foundation (c...

God didn’t set us up for an angry rejection but for salvation by our Master, Jesus Christ. He died for us, a death that triggered life. Whether we’re awake with the living or asleep with the dead, we’re  alive  with him! So speak encouraging words to one another. Build up hope so you’ll all be together in this, no one left out, no one left behind. I know you’re already doing this; just keep on doing it. (I Thessalonians 5:11 MSG) It is time to be a church were people truly love one another - more than one hour per week, but in everyday "doing" of life. It is time where the church doesn't just look back at all the blessing it has "known", but is a continual stream of God's blessings time and time again. It is time to BE the church - not to proclaim the church as a building or place, but a people, vibrant and strong, moving continually in the grace and love of Christ.  Too many times we have the wrong view of the church. Maybe it because others see it as a p...

Have you ever had one of those nights when you just couldn't sleep?  You tossed and turned, just barely getting in some "naps" along the way.  I usually sleep the first four hours pretty soundly and get a great deal of my rest within those four hours.  Then I find myself sleeping "lightly" for the remainder of my night - usually another three hours.  God gives rest to his kids - the secret is to stop long enough to understand and enjoy the rest.  I actually do very well on seven hours of "physical" rest, but there are times when it seems like I don't take the time to get the "spiritual" rest I need.  I am setting myself up for a huge crash whenever this occurs.  You might just say I experience one of those "unless" moments - unless I stop, I will run headlong into something I'd probably not want to face!  How about you? Experienced any of those "unless" moments in your life lately? If  God  doesn’t build the hous...

So much contrast exists within the scripture between the person of wisdom and the one who chooses to pursue the life of folly.  We might be thinking we are so wise, but we have a way of building some pretty flimsy homes, don't we?  We can be building, but at the same time tearing down what has been built by wrong words.  Criticism, anger, and even a lack of encouragement can tear down a home.  Wrong attitudes such as pride, fear, or selfishness can destroy a home.  Wrong actions like outbursts and laziness can equally shut off the "construction" of what matters in a home.  Even wrong thoughts like suspicion or a lack of trust come across as wrecking balls in relationships. Contrasts in behavior and attitude often illuminate the things which build up or tear down, don't they?  Lady Wisdom builds her home, but Sir Fool comes along and tears it down - brick by brick - not all of a sudden, but slowly. Building occurs over a matter of time - so does "decons...

Carelessness is characterized by not paying attention to what you are doing.  I have found myself drifting into deep thought about past memories, some event I was planning, or the like, only to find I really had no idea what had transpired while I was driving from point A to point B.  I imagine we have all done this at some time or another.  It always amazes me when someone cuts me off suddenly, drawing me back to a place of alert attention.  It is as though my heart rate went from the 70's to 100's in a matter of a split second!  You know the feeling - heart pounding, feeling a little shaky and just about to come out of your skin!  The "near miss" of the car pulling in front of you was a "wake up call", wasn't it?  It alerted you to danger - danger you had probably allowed to go quite unrecognized for miles and miles! Lives of careless wrongdoing are tumbledown shacks;  holy living builds soaring cathedrals.   There’s a way of life that lo...

Everything's falling apart on me,  God ;  put me together again with your Word.     Festoon me with your finest sayings,  God ;  teach me your holy rules.   My life is as close as my own hands,  but I don't forget what you have revealed.  The wicked do their best to throw me off track,  but I don't swerve an inch from your course.  (Psalm 119:107-110 The Message) Some days are just better than others!  In the passage of time, there are moments we'd like to "erase" from our memory, others we hope to hold onto forever.  It is "one of those days" for David - - things are just not going well for him.  He describes it well:  "EVERYTHING's falling apart on me!"  In another translation, this says, "Lord, I have suffered for a very long time..."  He's ready for this chapter of his life to be closed and a new one to be written! In "rough patches" of life, we often cry out for deli...

  1  A gentle response defuses anger, but a sharp tongue kindles a temper-fire.   2  Knowledge flows like spring water from the wise; fools are leaky faucets, dripping nonsense.  (Proverbs 15:1-2) Leaky faucets get our attention - especially in the stillness of the night when all we can hear is the incessant drip-drip-drip!  There is a tremendous amount of waste in what a leaky faucet can cost us in the course of time.  Conservative estimates tell us that between 5 and 10 gallons of water is lost each and every day by one leaky faucet in our homes.  Imagine how much "relational waste" occurs with the leaky faucet of an uncontrolled tongue! It is a joy to be the recipient of gentle words - they bring healing, turn away anger, and even calm emotional upset.  They are the basis of relationships that are solid and heart-committed.  "Drippy faucets" in relationships are like those that use gossip to "one-up" another - sharing without ...

1  Lady Wisdom builds a lovely home; Sir Fool comes along and tears it down brick by brick.   2  An honest life shows respect for  God ; a degenerate life is a slap in his face.  (Proverbs 14:1-2) There are many ways to build a house - none is as good as using wisdom in the process.  We build our "houses" with various building "blocks" - our actions, words, and attitudes.  Since this is the "material" we build with, it is important that we use great care in which "blocks" go into the making of our house.  The stability of our household depends on the quality of the materials used in the building! There is one "building block" that I did not mention in the list above - that is the one we call "guilt".  There are so many households today that have incorporated "guilt" as the material they use to build their household.  Guilt is both a negative and a positive building material - it depends on the skill of the builder....