The Plumbline

You are coming to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God’s temple. He was rejected by people, but he was chosen by God for great honor. And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are his holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God. (I Peter 2:4-5) We all experience some form of rejection on occasion, so lest we think we are enduring the worst rejection possible, let us not forget the extreme rejection Jesus endured. A life lived well will be subject to some form of criticism and even rejection - the ones doing the criticizing just cannot live with their own choices in the face of the ones we have made, so they ridicule and reject us. It isn't a bad thing when they reject us because it actually shows we are living in such a way that they are convicted just by the example we set. Rejected by people but chosen by God. We might admit that being rejected by others is kind of ha...

You have been my teacher, and I won’t reject your instructions. Your teachings are sweeter than honey. They give me understanding and make me hate all lies. (Psalm 119:102-104) Have you ever considered honeybees? Did you know they are raised to be harvested for the commercial market of honey distribution? There are more than the 'wild' forms of bees, but I didn't know that until I saw a show describing the process of how they are 'raised' for the sole purpose of the 'honey harvest'.  They are 'raised' as members of a 'colony of workers', each with a task our own, but with the undivided purpose of laying up stores and stores of sweet stuff for those who would come behind. The bees each have a function - whether they be the "queen bee" who lays nearly 2,000 eggs a day, the "gathering bees" who go out day after day to the fields to gather in the pollen, or the "worker bees" who work endlessly creating the hive and s...

It isn't where we worship - it is who we worship. It isn't about a place - it is about the heart. This Samaritan woman came to draw water from a well, but I doubt she expected this encounter with Jesus. She knew the prophets had predicted the Messiah to come, but did she know she'd encounter him at the side of the well? She just went there daily to draw the water and return to her duties back in the village. Today, she would not only be challenged by someone who knew her past, but she was being challenged to have her future changed for the better. That is how it is when we encounter Jesus - our past might have been a challenge for us, but our future doesn't have to be! “Sir,” the woman said, “you must be a prophet. So tell me, why is it that you Jews insist that Jerusalem is the only place of worship, while we Samaritans claim it is here at Mount Gerizim, where our ancestors worshiped?” Jesus replied, “Believe me, dear woman, the time is coming when it will no longer ma...

If we claim that we experience a shared life with him and continue to stumble around in the dark, we’re obviously lying through our teeth—we’re not living what we claim. But if we walk in the light, God himself being the light, we also experience a shared life with one another, as the sacrificed blood of Jesus, God’s Son, purges all our sin. (I John 1:7) A shared life with one another - what does that really look like? We might just have to admit most of us don't know how to live this 'shared life' very well, but we want to at least give it our best attempt. Anything shared means we participate in, enjoy, and receive something 'jointly'. There isn't any room for 'me' or 'mine'. That is possibly the hardest thing for some who enter into the faith - for all of life has been about what is theirs, with them at the center of their world. When we come into this relationship with Christ, it is Christ himself stated in the Garden of Gethsemane: "Fat...

“I am the Good Shepherd. I know my own sheep and my own sheep know me. In the same way, the Father knows me and I know the Father. I put the sheep before myself, sacrificing myself if necessary. You need to know that I have other sheep in addition to those in this pen. I need to gather and bring them, too. They’ll also recognize my voice. Then it will be one flock, one Shepherd. This is why the Father loves me: because I freely lay down my life. And so I am free to take it up again. No one takes it from me. I lay it down of my own free will. I have the right to lay it down; I also have the right to take it up again. I received this authority personally from my Father.” (John 10:14-15) We have all probably read or heard this portion of scripture at one time or another, but I never really caught something that Jesus was saying until this morning. Read that passage again with me and stop at the sentence where Jesus talks about having other sheep in addition to those in this pen. Did you ...

What is church to you? A social club? A place to meet and greet? A chance to 'get things right' all over again so you can go out and do the same old stuff next week? So many folks trudge off to church on Saturdays and Sundays, oblivious to any heartfelt reason for going to church or attending worship services in some location. Scripture warns us to be very careful when entering God's house - there is a specific purpose for church attendance and we need to be mindful in his presence. Right now, church 'attendance' for me is to stream the service over live video feed on Sunday mornings at the same time others are gathering in the building some call the 'church'. Mom and I find it quite a blessing that this type of service is offered for those of us that find it a little harder to get to 'church' these days. Watch your step when you enter God's house. Enter to learn. That's far better than mindlessly offering a sacrifice, doing more harm than go...

Since earliest times men have seen the earth and sky and all God made, and have known of his existence and great eternal power. So they will have no excuse when they stand before God at Judgment Day. ( Romans 1:20 TLB ) While none us is without excuse in knowing there is a God of the universe, not all of the world knows of his plan of salvation for their lives. Isn't that the purpose of the church - the help people meet, know, and follow Jesus with all that is within them? Yet, so many "churches" meet each week with nothing more than a nice, pleasing sermon and a few songs, only to go through the week without one consideration of this thing called 'relationship'. Going to church is far different from being the church. Christ's call was for us to BE the church, not for us to build the buildings and warm the pews! To BE the church, we have to do more that 'go to church' - we have to allow the message to penetrate our hearts and then to affect our a...

11  Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers.   12  Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.   13  This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ. (Ephesians 4:11-13 NLT) Ever wonder why God didn't just give us pastors or teachers? Why are there prophets, evangelists, and apostles? Couldn't God get all the work done in the church with just a couple of "ministers"? Believe it or not, all these "offices" fill a particular 'function' in the Body of Christ. Understanding the function of each is important to seeing how it is God intends for the church to grow, become one with each other, and be a safe haven for those with hurts and hang-ups until they desire to say "y...

"It may be hard for an egg to turn into a bird: it would be a jolly sight harder for it to learn to fly while remaining an egg. We are like eggs at present. And you cannot go on indefinitely being just an ordinary, decent egg. We must be hatched or go bad." (C. S. Lewis) I think it might just be possible some of us have "gone bad" because we have refused to leave the safety of our shell! The place of "nesting" is good only while the egg needs "nurturing" - until it is time for birth to occur and maybe just a little longer until the hatchling learns to fly. At some point, the mother pushes the bird from the nest - either because the life within never emerged from the shell, or the thing refused to fly! 3 Because of the grace that God gave me, I can say to each one of you: don’t think of yourself more highly than you ought to think. Instead, be reasonable since God has measured out a portion of faith to each one of you. 4 We have many parts in one...

If you find any comfort from being in the Anointed, if His love brings you some encouragement, if you experience true companionship with the Spirit, if His tenderness and mercy fill your heart;  then, brothers and sisters,   here is one thing that would  complete my joy—come together as one in mind and spirit and purpose, sharing in the same love.  (Philippians 1:1-2 VOICE) Comfort - encouragement - companionship - tenderness - mercy... What fills your heart? What encourages your spirit? What energizes your thoughts? What gives "lift" to your step and forward motion to your actions? What gives balance to your emotions? If you can answer "Christ" to all of these, then you are probably pretty saturated in the peace of Christ!  Your comfort isn't found in things you own or the stuff you might be able to "see", but rather it comes from being embraced by his grace, tenderly touched by his mercy, and wrapped up squarely in relationship with him! The ver...

Unless you were living under a rock back in 2001 when the World Trade Centers and the Pentagon were made the targets of terrorist attacks, you know how this attack on U.S. soil brought a nation together unlike anything else we had seen in days preceding the events and/or what we have seen afterward.  Those affected by the terrorist attacks lost countless lives - moms, dads, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles - all in a moment's time, all without warning.  The senselessness of the attacks sent many wondering if the beginning of something as catastrophic as World War III was about to begin.  One of the trends which was observed in the after-math of these attacks was the sudden "up-surge" in church attendance.  Across America, in large cities and small townships, people flocked to churches - people who hadn't been to church in years, or ever at all. The events caused some to examine their personal commitment to values they had been raised with, while others were seeking ...

Wouldn't it be nice to have a "handbook" to guide us in just about everything we undertake, especially when it deals with having to be in relationship with any other person or group of people?  When I was in scouting as a girl, one of the things we were told to purchase was our handbook.  Along with a uniform, badge sash, and a pencil, we were to bring our handbook to each and every meeting.  It was this handbook we would refer to in order to learn our pledge, see the steps necessary to complete in order to earn badges to put on our sash, and the like.  In the content of the handbook, there were such things as how we were to function as a group of scouts - looking out for each other, always being kind, etc.  The handbook guided our behavior as a troop of scouts and helped us learn new skills.  Our troop leader would be our other source of learning - because she would actually help us gather the things we needed in order to obtain a new skill and then would...

If you have ever traveled abroad, you know how awesome it feels to just "come home".  The differences you experience when you are in an unfamiliar country range from what you use for transportation, what you eat, to how you communicate.  There are also the differences in dress, living conditions, and weather, just to name a few.  By the end of your "trip", you find yourself settling down into the security and safety of "being home".  When we come to Christ, entering into his family, we find ourselves assuming a new home, much in the way Ruth assumed a new home when she chose to stay with Naomi many years ago (Ruth 1:16-17).  Yet, this "new home country" is not a burden to us because we have pledged our lives to the one whose home it is!    This kingdom of faith is now your home country. You’re no longer strangers or outsiders. You  belong  here, with as much right to the name Christian as anyone. God is building a home. He’s using us all...

The idea of "belonging" to something or someone is an age-old concept.  When we say we "belong" we are saying we are in some type of relationship - one in which the members have something in common.  When we "belong", we  possess the "proper" qualifications to be part of the group, don't we?  Back in the day, it was popular to "belong" to the country club, hanging out on Friday nights or Saturdays as the big bands played dance music and enjoying the fine foods prepared by the chefs for their members.  You associated "belonging" with a sense of some "status", did you not?  By "belonging" to the country club, you were somehow set apart from those who could neither afford to belong, or who simply had no idea how to play golf or tennis!  We might "belong" to the Chamber of Commerce, the local women's society, or an elite biker's club who travel the highways on their shiny, well-equipped mo...

If we really stop long enough to consider WHY we go to church, we'd all probably enjoy the experience a whole lot more!  We might actually walk away a different person!  Yet, most of us go to church in a kind of "mindless" manner. 1  Watch your step when you enter God's house.   Enter to learn. That's far better than mindlessly offering  a sacrifice, d oing more harm than good.  (Ecclesiastes 5:1) Our writer reminds us of the importance of "entering to learn" - not just to be able to "check off" one more thing on our list of weekend experiences.  There is also a "warning" to watch our step - to be cautious in what we might commit to doing - because a vow spoken in haste is really a thing we will trip on! The three words "enter to learn" tell us a great deal about how we should "approach" church.  First, we enter - we go in.  This suggest active engagement in the process of moving from one spot to another.  In...

19-22 That's plain enough, isn't it? You're no longer wandering exiles. This kingdom of faith is now your home country. You're no longer strangers or outsiders. You belong here, with as much right to the name Christian as anyone. God is building a home. He's using us all—irrespective of how we got here—in what he is building. He used the apostles and prophets for the foundation. Now he's using you, fitting you in brick by brick, stone by stone, with Christ Jesus as the cornerstone that holds all the parts together. We see it taking shape day after day—a holy temple built by God, all of us built into it, a temple in which God is quite at home. (Ephesians 2:19-22) It is a joyful thing to finally come to a place where we feel like we "fit".  We often spend the majority of our lives looking for that "perfect fit" in life.  We experience disappointment when c areer, schooling, family, friends, spouse, etc., all somehow don't "fit" i...