The Plumbline

I have rejoiced in your laws as much as in riches. I will study your commandments and reflect on your ways. I will delight in your decrees and not forget your word. (Psalm 119:14-16) If it seems like we have been focusing a lot on the importance of God's Word over the past several weeks, we have! Why? God's Word is both a weapon of defense and offense. If we find we are entering into a battle of any sort, we want both, don't we? We need the wisdom contained therein in order to be able to initiate our attack when the enemy strikes, as well as the resources to protect us from harm during an attack.  Defense is definitely about our protection, but offense sees opportunities as they are set before us, weighs the value of all the moves that can be made, and then acts upon the best one. Without a good offense, the best defense at our disposal is only half-effective. We don't want to be under attack, but when we are, we want to know our walls of defense are strong, ...

Pushed to the wall, I called to God; from the wide open spaces, he answered. God’s now at my side and I’m not afraid; who would dare lay a hand on me? God’s my strong champion; I flick off my enemies like flies. Far better to take refuge in God than trust in people; Far better to take refuge in God than trust in celebrities. Hemmed in by barbarians, in God’s name I rubbed their faces in the dirt; Hemmed in and with no way out, in God’s name I rubbed their faces in the dirt; Like swarming bees, like wild prairie fire, they hemmed me in; in God’s name I rubbed their faces in the dirt. I was right on the cliff-edge, ready to fall, when God grabbed and held me. God’s my strength, he’s also my song, and now he’s my salvation. Hear the shouts, hear the triumph songs in the camp of the saved? “The hand of God has turned the tide! The hand of God is raised in victory! The hand of God has turned the tide!” (Psalm 118:5-6) If you have ever felt 'pushed to the wall' by a worry, hangup, h...

I’m asking God for one thing, only one thing: To live with him in his house my whole life long. I’ll contemplate his beauty; I’ll study at his feet. That’s the only quiet, secure place in a noisy world, the perfect getaway, far from the buzz of traffic. (Psalm 27:4-5) It is not always a certainty that we find 'comfort' in the place where we dwell. Sometimes our place of dwelling is far from 'comfortable' because of who else dwells there, or the events that transpire within that dwelling. A dwelling is meant to be more than a place of 'living' - it is a space for each of us to decompress, replenish ourselves, and prepare for whatever comes next in our lives. If our 'physical dwelling' is far from perfect, we can be assured of one thing - our 'spiritual dwelling' is one place we can find all these things. The only quiet, secure place in a crazy, mixed up world is at the feet of Jesus. It is indeed the place where we can decompress because he allow...

There are times when we all need to hear the words that are more than 'fluff' or 'flattery' - they need to be words that will bolster our courage, increase our faith, and help to put "steel in our spines" again. No matter how hard we try, we ALL experience moments of doubt - the siege "against" us seeming to be far more prepared than our own defense. The truth is, we are often caught unaware in the moment of attack in our lives. Most of us have little to no clue of the next thing which will put us into a tailspin. As I am writing this, I am listening to the words of a song declaring our God is stronger, our God is for us, so who could stand against us or stop us. Now those are rallying words! Hezekiah rallied the people, saying, "Be strong! Take courage! Don't be intimidated by the king of Assyria and his troops— there are more on our side than on their side . He only has a bunch of mere men; we have our God to help us and fight for us ...

I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me, for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father’s hand. The Father and I are one.”  ( John 10:28-30   NLT ) Years ago, there was a movie entitled, "Invasion of the Body Snatchers". Believe it or not, that was first released in 1956 in the old black and white format! The scenes depicted a local hometown physician presented with several of his patients suffering from some form of what he believed to be paranoid delusions. These patients thought their friends and relatives were actually "imposters" of some sort. During the timeframe this movie was released, the strong suspicion that there were "extraterrestrial forms" moving about in little space ships and intent on stealing our brains was kind of popular. Now, whether you are a believer in the "alien invasion" camp, or think this is a...

We have a group of people in our lives who worry about everything, don't we?  They find some disaster far, far away - totally removed from them - and worry about how it will affect them or those they love.  I was driving home the other day and caught just a little of the newscast revealing the last Ebola patient has gone home from the hospital in Liberia. Another 40 plus days and they will be declared to be Ebola free in that nation.  Then came the report of the next possible places for outbreaks, all based on their poor healthcare system and lack of sanitation in their countries.  The moment of celebration was absolutely lost when the next few seconds were dedicated to painting the ugliness of potential outbreak.  It was like saying all the hard work to eradicate it in Liberia was good, but those who are not as far along in their prevention methods will be next.  I don't think the intended purpose was to keep people from traveling, but if you are at all i...

Ever feel like your "battle" in life was more like an all-out attack? There are times when we all feel like taking one more step forward is just going to be met with a barrage of weaponry meant to mortally wound us.  We just cannot move for fear if we do our lives will be lost to the battle.  Most of us don't know the meaning of hunkering down in the depths of a foxhole (or fighting trench). The bullets whizzing by overhead, even shrapnel from shells exploding all around you, one tiny misstep into the line of fire meant you could be struck down in an instant!  What most of us don't recognize is the meaning of the foxhole - it is a place of defense!  That means it actually accomplishes something for our protection!  Instead of bemoaning your position in the foxhole, thinking you have succumb to defeat because you find yourself there, it is time to realize it is in the foxhole a good many positive things actually happen!  The foxhole actually allows a soldie...