The Plumbline

 Love cures people - both the ones who give it and the ones who receive it. (Karl A. Menninger) I give you a new command: Love each other. You must love each other just as I loved you. All people will know that you are my followers if you love each other. (John 13:34-35) Some in this world crave love because they really haven't seen much love modeled in their lives - rejected, alone in most of their actions, drifting kind of aimlessly from one relationship to another, just hoping they will find 'whatever' it is they crave. Love isn't learned from the textbooks - it is modeled behavior. We can absolutely KNOW God loves us because he sent his son to 'model' the behaviors of love. His love has been in action since he created heaven and earth, but if we ever doubted his love, we only need to look to the actions of Jesus on our behalf, the actions of his Father in sending him to earth, and then the actions of the Father pronouncing sin's penalty has been paid onc...

Give a little love to a child, and you get a great deal back. (John Ruskin) Discipline your children while you still have the chance; indulging them destroys them. (Proverbs 19:18) Proverbs reminds us that disciplining your children is really loving them: "A refusal to correct is a refusal to love; love your children by disciplining them." (Proverbs 13:24) How many parents today struggle with how to discipline their children. Back in my day, the sassy mouth, bad attitude, or occasional wrongdoing was dealt with by either taking away a privilege, getting a couple whacks on the backside, or being grounded. I knew the occasional need to restrict me, and even the occasional swat on the backside didn't mean my parents didn't love me. In fact, it was just the opposite - they cared enough about how I'd turn out that they took the steps to require the right respect for my elders, follow the rules set forth by those in a position of authority, and to always do my best. God...

Life Hack #13: Don’t be afraid to correct your young ones; a spanking won’t kill them. A good spanking, in fact, might save them from something worse than death. (Proverbs 23:13-14) Children need correction in their formative years, and this is probably one of the hottest debated topics among parents today. There is a principle being taught in the scripture which goes beyond the "means" or "method" of discipline used to correct the child to the "heart" behind all discipline rendered by a parent. Discipline is for the correction of behavior which will lead the child into harmful stuff if ignored - and when rendered with the heart and compassion of a loving parent, it should always be within the boundaries of what does not bring more "harm" to the child. God's lessons are sometimes hard for me to learn, I don't know about you. When I am not getting them, he sometimes has to resort to what brings me to a place of paying attention. A parent...

What you say about yourself means nothing in God’s work. It’s what God says about you that makes the difference. (2 Corinthians 10:18) Paul had been speaking with the Corinthian believers and he shares the importance of not claiming credit for the work of others. Perhaps some had accused him of trying to 'step in' and take over the church there, we don't really know. What we do know is that he had written letters to the church in Corinth, attempting to correct some wrong behavior on the part of some believers there. In turn, he was criticized. Isn't that just the way we act at times - getting ourselves into some compromising position and then wanting to turn the attention from ourselves to those who actually notice that behavior? Whenever sin is confronted, criticism is not too far behind. It is second nature for us to point the finger at another when we feel confronted - we call it 'cover-up'. We humans have been doing this since the beginning of time. The poin...

I don't know about you, but there are times when I get good advice and I just don't pay attention to it. If I don't pay heed to what is shared it usually results in some type of 'disaster' for me. Someone once told me you had to add extra flour to a cake mix at high altitudes and change the baking time/temp. Did I remember to listen to that advice when I was at higher altitudes? Nope...and the brownies were pretty doggone runny! Did I discard them? Nope...just used a spoon to eat them! Advice is good to hear, but if it isn't heeded, it isn't anything more than 'words in the air'.  Listen to advice and accept discipline, and at the end you will be counted among the wise. Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails. (Proverbs 19:20-21) I have to be honest here - listening to advice is a whole lot easier for me than accepting discipline! When discipline comes my way, I kind of want to turn the other way and just r...

Life can be lived fully - don't you agree? If you are like some I know, you might just be 'squandering away' a little of life each and every day, though. In fact, we all probably do a little 'squandering' without really being aware we are 'losing out' on something that could be really, really big in the end! There are certainly times when we are gung-ho about seeking all life has to show us, while there are others when we'd just as soon "check-out" for a while and resume this whole thing called life just a little later on when things calm down a little - the theme song lyrics of 2020. It is only natural to be "all in" sometimes, and then pull back a little at others - we are not gonna always be giving life our 100%, right? Sometimes we just need to escape - but we don't want to miss out on things just because we did! I wonder if there has been some important stuff we missed out on when we are "checked-out" a little th...

If your life is marked by 'fits and starts', but very few 'finished items', then you are probably not alone. In fact, more of us start things and never see them through to completion than you might imagine. We have closets with unfinished craft projects, crossword puzzles that never quite get that last clue answered, and ideas for improving processes at work that never make it off the drawing board. We are great at 'imagining' stuff, but the follow-through to get it completed is oftentimes lacking. One thing I have adjusted to as I have 'grown up' is the idea of this whole 'slow and steady' progress toward a goal. When I wanted to have a savings large enough to handle unforeseen emergencies, the process began with only a couple dollars here and then a couple more there, but it was in the consistent savings of those small amounts that I learned I could save even larger ones! Slow and steady isn't always the way we do things. Some of us jump in...

There are times take a little ribbing from my friends because I like to learn new things and get excited about stuff like learning new formulas in Excel, or finding out the origin of certain words or sayings.  I have a curious mind that is only satisfied when I have discovered a new fact - like taking something apart to see how it works, or discovering the name of a bug that crawls out of a hole in my back yard.  I know they say curiosity killed the cat, but I am not a cat! I think an inquisitive mind is given to us by God himself and he delights in seeing us put it to good use! According to scripture,  if we are the kind of people that love learning, then we will also love the discipline that goes with it.  Most of us could say that we are open to learning new things, but does discipline REALLY have to be part of it?!? I mean, come on God, does discipline REALLY have to be part of us discovering new stuff? If you love learning, you love the discipline that goes wi...

12 Lord, great blessings belong to those you discipline, to those you teach from your law. 13 You help them stay calm when trouble comes.   You will help them until the wicked are put in their graves. 14 The Lord will not leave his people. He will not leave them without help. 15 Justice will return and bring fairness.   And those who want to do right will be there to see it. (Psalm 94:12-15 ERV) Willa Cather reminds us, "There are some things you learn best in calm, and some in storm." God's care for those he loves outweighs any storm we endure, my friend. Troubles come, but God is the calming effect in the midst of even the stormiest of turmoil around us. We have a great deal of stress in our lives, but did you ever take inventory of some of that stress only to find it was "self-caused"? Some of the greatest stress we face is that which we bring upon ourselves! In those moments when I have realized it is "me" causing all that trouble and chaos in...

4 You are struggling against sin, but you have not had to give up your life for the cause. 5 You are children of God, and he speaks words of comfort to you. You have forgotten these words: “My child, don’t think the Lord’s discipline is worth nothing, and don’t stop trying when he corrects you. 6 The Lord disciplines everyone he loves; he punishes everyone he accepts as a child.” 7 So accept sufferings like a father’s discipline. God does these things to you like a father correcting his children. You know that all children are disciplined by their fathers. 8 So, if you never receive the discipline that every child must have, you are not true children and don’t really belong to God. (Hebrews 12:4-8 ERV) I am going to tell tales on myself this morning. As a kid, I really needed a whole lot of discipline in my life - not because I was a really "bad" kid, but because I had a tendency to get myself into one muddle after another. As mom used to point out, the company you keep m...

Okay, okay...I hate to break the news to you, but I am God's favorite child!  Now, I know this may come as a surprise to you, but God actually favors me as his favorite.  How do I know this?  Simple - he corrects me a lot!  That one fact, according to scripture, indicates I am his "favorite"!  Okay, I don't have an over-inflated ego or anything, but it warms my heart to know God actually "favors" me - by showing his love to me through his correction.  I never got all that excited about the correction of my parents when I was a little kid - in fact, I kind of thought they might just have needed a little intervention to know how warped they were in their parenting!  As they disciplined me, I thought they probably were the worst parents in the whole wide world and there was no one stricter, meaner, or less "loving" than they were.  How warped was that impression!  In the moment of discipline, nothing is pleasant, but when we step back enough fr...

Correction:  Something that is substituted or proposed for what is wrong or inaccurate; an adjustment made in order to increase accuracy; the reversal of a trend.   Most of us think of correction as the punishment we receive which is intended to put us back on the right course.  In essence, this is only one definition of the term - but the idea is that of "substituting" one behavior for another in order to get a different outcome.  In other words, if we continue doing the same thing, we will always get what we have always gotten!  So, correction is designed to help us do something "differently" in order to change the outcome.  Accept correction, and you will find life; reject correction, and you will miss the road. You can hide your hatred by telling lies, but you are a fool to spread lies. You will say the wrong thing if you talk too much—so be sensible and watch what you say. The words of a good person are like pure silver, but the thoughts of an e...

It is all out war against sin in our lives.  Nothing short of describing this as a prolonged conflict will do!  In the midst of the battle, we can sometimes lose perspective of the small victories which have already occurred.  When we do, we get down on ourselves for still being engaged in the entire warfare situation.  Truth is, until we leave this earth, we will be engaged in this battle!  We just have to learn to be good warriors, entering into the victories we experience, and learning to step forward into the next.  No victory is without some form of struggle or conflict - it is just part of life.  Even finding a good deal on some purchase we may be wanting to make takes some effort on our part.  Even if all we do is surf the net to find the best deal on the item, there is some effort expended on our part which brings us the "victorious" moment of getting it for the price we hoped to pay.  So it is with the things in this life we hope to...

Scripture has much to offer in the way of the correction children need in their formative years and probably one of the hottest debated topics is the use of "spanking" or "paddling" your children.  I remember this debate quite well as a new parent, having been raised in a home where spanking was an acceptable means of discipline, but being surrounded with other new parents who thought "hitting" your child was just totally wrong.  I don't seek to settle the dilemma today as to "right" or "wrong" as it applies to spanking or paddling your children, but please hear me out as this lesson unfolds.  I think there is a principle being taught in the scripture which goes beyond the "means" of discipline used to correct the child to the "heart" behind any and all discipline rendered by a parent.  It is for the correction of behavior which will lead the child into harmful stuff if ignored - and when rendered with the heart...

To learn, one must open themselves to learning - it involves an investment of one's self, not just a casual acquaintance with the subject.  It amazes me how many individuals actually think they are learning something when they just attend church on Sunday, issuing proclamations of agreement and head nods in assent to the teaching, or even watch Christian TV all through the week, and still don't manifest a life change.  Exposure to a subject and even agreement with it is not learning - but we need to be aware of a warning in scripture - God holds us accountable for the knowledge we possess.  Exposure to a subject gives us knowledge of the subject - application of the knowledge gives us the chance to be affected by it. Give yourselves to disciplined instruction;  open your ears to tested knowledge.  (Proverbs 23:12 MSG) I believe this is why our writer indicates we need to "give ourselves" to disciplined instruction.  First, he deals with the idea o...

None of us relishes the idea of being disciplined, do we?  In fact, we'd probably rather avoid it at all cost, especially when we are feeling a little guilt load because of what we have done which really deserves the discipline. When it is hardest is when we don't feel we need the discipline - those are the times we probably resist it the most.  It is during these moments that we begin to feel sorry for ourselves - thinking we don't deserve what we are experiencing - all the while forgetting that discipline is not judgment. Discipline is training which is aimed at improving us - not judging us.  Too many of us equate discipline with judgment - like when we stole cookies from the cookie jar, got caught, and then ended up paying the price by being restricted from watching TV or the like.  We got caught - a price had to be paid for our disobedience - and we get to feeling sorry for ourselves, not because we disobeyed, but more likely because we got caught!  Maybe ...

Hate is a strong word, is it not?  Many parents actually try to get their kids to not use this word, but choose to say something like "I dislike brussel sprouts" instead of "I hate brussel sprouts".  Why?  Perhaps it is the intensity of the word - hate.  It carries the idea of some extreme aversion - almost a totally passionate dislike or repulsion for that which is being described.  In the English language, we have a lot of synonyms for the word hate: loathe, despise, abhor, and even detest.  To the child who doesn't want to eat his brussel sprouts, he is probably just trying to convey the idea of the taste being a little too bitter and displeasing to his palate.  When that pungent odor of brussel sprouts gets into his tiny nose, he just cringes because it doesn't smell so very sweet or as familiar as his macaroni and cheese favorite!  When God uses the word hate, he doesn't just imply a "dislike" for something - he is indicating a much strong...

To love learning is to embrace discipline - for apart from living a disciplined life, learning can never occur.  To "learn" means we will gain knowledge, understanding of something, or to gain a skill.   It comes by study, instruction, and experience.  Some might call this "coming to realize" - to hear and then come to really know.  Either way you look at it, it comes by discipline.  No lesson is easily embraced if there is a fear or hatred of discipline.  If we recognize our heavenly Father's discipline is ALWAYS done in love, we will no longer fear it, but embrace it as a way of being embraced by love. If you love learning, you love the discipline that goes with it— how shortsighted to refuse correction!   A good person basks in the delight of   God ,   and he wants nothing to do with devious schemers.   You can’t find firm footing in a swamp,   but life rooted in God stands firm...    The thinking of principled people...