The Plumbline

Have you ever 'bargained' with God? I mean that moment in your life when you just promised God some form of service or dedication if he'd just do this 'one thing' for you right here and now. I have to ask a hard question here - did you uphold your end of the bargain? Most of us would likely answer a big old "no" on that one. We might have started out well in our 'plan' to uphold our end of the bargain, but then somewhere down the road when life got a little more complicated again, we let go of our hold on it a little, or all together. I know I have been in 'tight places' and asked God for deliverance, promising him I'd change a few things in my life, especially when I was younger. I know how many times my promises fell short of total fulfillment - but not for the lack of commitment - just the lack of motivation to stay committed! Do not throw away your trust, for your reward will be great. You must be willing to wait without giving up....

It began one way, but ended another. Is that the story of your life? It goes without saying that "hindsight" is often much better than "foresight". If we could see how everything would turn out in the end, we might not take some of the steps we take along the way. If we had insight into the outcomes of some of our words and actions, we might speak up or volunteer more often as we'd want to have a positive impact in our world. The simple truth is that we don't know how things will end - - and this often keeps us from acting in the first place. Sometimes our action ends up being more like us acting in "blindness" - we just move ahead, groping at whatever we can to avoid stumbling, and hoping to make it to our destination in the end. I can see now, God, that your decisions are right; your testing has taught me what's true and right. Oh, love me—and right now—hold me tight, just the way you promised. Now comfort me so I can live, really live; you...