The Plumbline

Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. (Colossians 3:16 NLT) Alexis Carrel reminds us, "All of us, at certain moments of our lives, need to take advice and to receive help from other people." The message of Christ, his goodness and his grace, needs to fill all of our lives, not just the Sunday-parts! Wisdom or counsel is only as trustworthy as the source of such wisdom. When we are teaching one another with the wisdom Christ gives us in our daily study of his Word and the time we spend alone with him, we are truly connecting each other to the wisdom that will guide and protect each other. Teach and counsel - two very specific actions that have a bit of a different meaning. When we teach someone, we are showing them or instructing them in how something is to be done. When we counsel one another, we are actually giving w...

Life Hack #23: Wise conversation is way over the head of fools; in a serious discussion they haven’t a clue. (Proverbs 24:7) In times gone by, men would gather at the gates of the city and engage in serious conversation. It was a meeting of the educated minds. Issues were settled there, and wisdom was passed down. The leaders of the city would settle disputes, pass judgments on behalf of a wronged party, and just give insight into life decisions. It was a place where "wisdom" was spoken. A fool was not to be the one engaged in the conversations of giving advice or passing on a judgment for the wronged party. Why? They were clueless as the intent of the heart, and this rendered them "useless" in making such decisions. They were to remain silent - for their "advice" would only muddle the matter. I wonder how much "foolish" conversation goes on in places of decision-making these days - especially since we don't have the "gates of th...

Take good counsel and accept correction— that’s the way to live wisely and well. We humans keep brainstorming options and plans, but God’s purpose prevails. (Proverbs 19:20-21) Queen Elizabeth II asked, "To what greater inspiration and counsel can we turn than to the imperishable truth to be found in this treasure house, the Bible?" Humans turn to all kinds of things for counsel, don't we? The animals listen to the bristling of leaves, the overwhelming stillness of a moment, or the call of other wild things to alert them to danger. Some trust in the lucky rabbit's foot, or their 'lucky socks' to help them get ahead in one way or another. Others will put all their trust into what some 'medium' predicts after consulting their 'magic cards' or 'crystal ball'. It amazes me at times how easily we can get caught up in trusting these ungodly 'counselors' - believing the daily horoscope over the Word of God. Our greatest counsel is not ...

  Pay close attention, friend, to what your father tells you; never forget what you learned at your mother’s knee. Wear their counsel like a winning crown, like rings on your fingers. Dear friend, if bad companions tempt you, don’t go along with them... Oh, friend, don’t give them a second look; don’t listen to them for a minute. They’re racing to a very bad end, hurrying to ruin everything they lay hands on... When you grab all you can get, that’s what happens: the more you get, the less you are. (Proverbs 1:8-9) As I was growing up, I remember that time around my teen years when I began to think I knew more than my parents. Somewhere around the age of 21 or so, magically my parents became the smartest people on the planet again! How did that happen? My parents didn't get 'magically smarter' - they were pretty doggone smart all along - I was the goofy one thinking I didn't need their advice and wisdom. The advice and wisdom they possessed wasn't 'book-learned...

  Take good counsel and accept correction— that’s the way to live wisely and well. We humans keep brainstorming options and plans, but  God ’s purpose prevails. (Proverbs 19:20-21) Good counsel is to be sought, not because we need someone else to do our thinking for us, but because we sometimes need to get a clarifying perspective on things. God never asks us to allow others to think for us - to make choices for us that we should be making for ourselves. He asks us to use the wisdom he grants through is Word, wise counsel of others who know his Word, and the best 'knowledge' we have at the moment. Sometimes that 'knowledge' is just the tiny nudges we feel in our spirit - but even these 'nudges' need confirmation through what we find in the Word and what we know to be true about our God. Wise counsel is 'taken' - it is crammed down our throats, nor is it 'happened upon'. There is an active participation in finding truth, adopting truth, and then l...

Who do you find it the hardest to speak to? What are the words you have the hardest time saying? What are the thoughts you need to share, but you feel you just aren't up to it, or that it is just too difficult to say them? We all have those moments when it is one of the most difficult things to just say what it is we need to say - to get out into the open what has been veiled behind other words for so long. How many of us really get to the point of sharing our full heart with those who need to hear the words contained within it? Counsel and guidance are there, but do we know how to share it, or when it is the right time to share them? From the looks of things, I'd say we don't do a very good job with this one, my friends! It's true that moral guidance and counsel need to be given, but the way you say it and to whom you say it are as important as what you say. It's obvious, isn't it, that the law code isn't primarily for people who live responsibly, but for...

"He that gives good advice, builds with one hand; he that gives good counsel and example, builds with both; but he that gives good admonition and bad example, builds with one hand and pulls down with the other." (Francis Bacon) Good advice comes from various sources - sometimes the wise words of a cherished friend, at others a discovered truth from God's Word, and at times it even comes from those we might not think to really have had much influence in our lives until we look back and see their fingerprints in what has become our "molded character". Many times advice is sought, but there are also times when it is offered without anyone asking for it. In those moments, it can be listened to, heeded, and result in some type of impact in our lives. It can also be ignored, not acted upon, and result in an even bigger impact. The key isn't that we acted or didn't act - it is in discerning which was the advice we were to heed and which it was we were to...

" A remark generally hurts in proportion to its truth ."  (Will Rogers)  If you have ever heard some words you didn't want to hear about yourself, you might have wanted to deny they were correct because they reveal something about you that you are not so happy to hear. Whenever I was called a "geek", "nerd", or "brainiac" in school, I almost wanted to curl up in a ball and cry.  Why?  I wanted to be "liked", "accepted", and "embraced" by those in my peer group.  I didn't want to stand out from them as "too much" of an intellect, "not enough" of an intellect, or just plain "stand out" in anyway at all!  I wanted to be "one of them", but the truth was I wasn't.  I rarely "fit in" with the crowd I wanted to fit in with most - the popular girls.  Needless to say, their words often hurt, cut to the core, or revealed something about me I had been trying so hard ...

Let God's word richly inhabit your lives - what a word picture!  First and foremost, there is this idea of actually giving God "admittance" into our time and space.  He need access if his word is to do the work it is designed to accomplish and he needs the time to do it!  Sure, God can do stuff instantly, but when he does, we often don't appreciate it quite as much - why? It might be because we received what we did just way too easily!  Some of the best things I have in my life are those that I had to work for the hardest - like my relationships with those I love.  It doesn't just always come easily to us to be involved in some relationships, so the work we put into them actually is a little tougher than one might think!   Let the word of the Anointed One richly inhabit your lives. With all wisdom teach, counsel, and instruct one another. Sing the psalms, compose hymns and songs inspired by the Spirit, and keep on singing—sing to God from hearts full a...

Back in the day, when learning how to type in one of my high school classrooms, I remember having to bring this list of supplies to the class.  We had to buy a ream of white typing paper (not the kind you put through the copy machine, but the real stuff), a pack of carbon paper (something most kids today have no idea about), and a couple of special erasers with the little brush on the end to correct any mistakes you'd make.  One of the rules we learned was how to handle the "erasures" or "corrections".  If we scrubbed too hard with the eraser, we'd make a hole in the paper.  Too inadequately and we'd have a tell-tale correction.  Then there was this whole rule about not allowing all those eraser "flakes" to fall into the typewriter.  Trust me - I was glad when they invented white-out!  I became a good typist pretty quickly and this was probably because dad had an old manual typewriter I could practice on at home. Yet, no matter how "good...

In times gone by, men would gather at the gates of the city and engage in serious conversation.  It was a place of more than just meeting - it was a meeting of the minds.  Issues were settled there and wisdom was passed down.  The leaders of the city would often meet there to settle disputes, pass judgments on behalf of a wronged party, and just give insight into life decisions.  It was a place were "wisdom" was spoken and people left usually feeling pretty good about the things they had experienced.  At the gate of the city, a fool was not to be the one engaged in the conversations of giving advice or passing on a judgment for the wronged party.  Why?  They were clueless as the intent of the heart and this rendered them "useless" in making such decisions.  At the gate, they were to remain silent - for their "advice" would only muddle the matter.  In fact, they would often not even grasp the meaning of the conversations of the wise.  I ...

Ever heard two kids square off in the play yard with words resembling, "My dad can beat your dad any day"?  What is going on when they announce this confident statement is a little bit of one child trying to prove something - that he or she has an advantage.  Advantage is something we have been trying to "get" ever since we breathed our first breath.  It is any opportunity or circumstance we can "work our way" to that will ensure success or a particular desired end.  Every time we took the little toy into our tiny clutches and proclaimed, "Mine!", we were taking or proclaiming the advantage.  Each time we postured so as to say, "Don't mess with me", we were posturing to declare we had some advantage.  I remember learning some hand-to-hand combat maneuvers in the military, somehow thinking knowing the maneuvers would give me some advantage over another if the situation arose.  Ummm...I doubt if I would have any advantage over a blac...

We all have desired or intended results to every action we take in life.  Even setting the alarm before bed is an action intended to awaken us at a particular time to afford us the opportunity to be up, dressed, and engaged in some activity.  Some of our "aims" in life are little rote - like setting the alarm to awaken in the morning.  Others are a little spontaneous - such as when someone calls and asks if you want to hang out a while.  You manage to drop a few things you have going and make plans with the individual because you enjoy the relationship and want to get together.  Still other "plans" or "aims" in life are a little more formalized, take a little longer to accomplish, and serve a specific purpose - as when we make a savings plan or choose to live by a budget.  I don't consult anyone when I set the alarm - because I "own" that activity for my life.  I do consult someone when I want to change my investments to have them perform a ...

We can "get" something and we can "take" something.  They have very different meanings, don't they?  To "get" something does not always mean we put it to use in our lives - we just "possess" it as ours, but it may not have an impact on our lives.  To "take" something implies we intend to put it into use. When we "take" a piece of bread from the plate, we likely are more apt to use it to sop up the gravy on our plate than when we just have it casually placed on a dish next to our dinner plate.  To "take" good counsel and accept correction means we actually do something with what we receive in the way of counsel and apply the corrective measures to ensure the outcome of our plans is different than it would have been without the counsel or correction.  When we get something, we are being affected by it - it changes us in some way. This is what God had in mind when he instructed us to live wisely and well by taking t...

We looked at the importance of friendships yesterday, but I just wanted to ask you this - who are the five most important relationships to you today?  If I had to describe these, they would be the individuals you consider to be the closest relationships of "choice".  In other words, you actively choose to be involved in their lives, draw close to them, drawing from them and being held accountable by them.  Did you know most of us would have a really hard time giving even three names, let alone five?  Society has gravitated toward a period in time when relationships are superficial and lack the integrity brought about by developing true intimacy (deep, emotional and spiritual connection). We need to recognize the relationships of "choice" matter - for whoever we surround ourselves with will eventually begin to "speak into" our lives.  In other words, they offer counsel, guidance, and direction - some by their actions, others by their words.  Maybe this is w...

Ever feel like you have been following the directions you have received only to find you are lost?  It takes only one subtle turn in the wrong direction, one overlooked sign, or one moment of inattentiveness to find yourself totally out of the path you are supposed to be following to reach your destination doesn't it?  In retrospect, you can probably look back and recognize the point you should have turned, should have heeded the sign, or been paying closer attention to the journey than something else which captivated your attention at the moment.  What happens next?  You spend a whole lot of time getting back on course.  Sometimes the best laid plans are not always going to work out as you planned simply because the one doing the "following" of the plan is a little inattentive, huh? Without good direction, people lose their way;   the more wise counsel you follow, the better your chances.  (Proverbs 11:14 MSG) Our proverb this morning deals with g...

And those who think they know so much,  ignoring everything you tell them—let them have it!   Don't let them mock and humiliate me;  I've been careful to do just what you said.  While bad neighbors maliciously gossip about me,  I'm absorbed in pondering your wise counsel.   Yes, your sayings on life are what give me delight;  I listen to them as to good neighbors! (Psalm 119:21-24 The Message) As we continue on with our study in Psalm 119, we find that David makes a little deviation from his "positive" focus!  He actually asks God to "get" his enemies!  It is kind of like saying, "Sick 'em!" to a dog!  He is obviously a little frustrated with his "supposed" friends - those he has kept company with, and maybe some he just knows as acquaintances.  They are engaged in gossip against him - picking him apart.   David continues with his customary "condition - result" way of framing his thoughts.  Here's the con...