The Plumbline

“So fear the Lord and serve him wholeheartedly. Put away forever the idols your ancestors worshiped when they lived beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord alone. But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:14-15) Confucius said if he walked with two men, he'd look at the positive example in one of them and imitate that behavior, while seeking to eliminate the negative behavior he observed while walking with the other man. I daresay that is a dangerous way to live our lives because choosing any 'standard' other than God to base our decision about what character needs to be built in our lives is living by a 'low standard'. We can see the negative traits or behavior in another and seek to eliminate similar behavior in our ...

When you put a cup in front of you, do you fill it until it overflows, or do you stop somewhere short of the top of the rim? If you are paying attention, you likely fill it just below the rim, or a little down from there because you have to pick it up, transport it somewhere with you, and you don't want it spilling all over the place as you do. When God fills us, he doesn't care about the 'spill over'! In fact, he hopes some of what he fills us with will actually spill over and begin to affect those around us. If you are telling God to 'avoid the rim' in your life because it will get a little 'messy', you are probably missing out on some of the awesomeness God intends not only for you, but all those he puts in your lives! I pray that Christ may live in your hearts by faith. I pray that you will be filled with love. I pray that you will be able to understand how wide and how long and how high and how deep His love is. I pray that you will know the love of...