The Plumbline

When my soul is in the dumps, I rehearse everything I know of you, From Jordan depths to Hermon heights, including Mount Mizar. Chaos calls to chaos, to the tune of whitewater rapids. Your breaking surf, your thundering breakers crash and crush me. Then God promises to love me all day, sing songs all through the night! My life is God’s prayer. (Psalm 42:6-8 MSG) When my soul is in the dumps. Does that ever happen to you? Do you get in the 'mulligrubs' from time to time? I tend to find myself in those times when I don't even know what the cause of the 'discontent' or 'discouragement' is. It is like they can creep in unawares. I don't know about you, but when those times come, I find myself calling out to God because I know when I "rehearse everything I know" about who he is and what he has done in my life, my mood soon begins to change. God promises to love us ALL DAY LONG. Not just when our mood is the greatest or our circumstances seem to be g...

For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are. But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. (Romans 3:20-24 NLT) As believers in Christ, we must forsake the desire to 'make ourselves right' by any other means than faith in the finished work of Jesus at the cross. We are always going to think we could just 'be a little better' because that is human nature. We can never be 'more better' than we are in Christ Jesus! We are our 'best' in him - nothing we do or say can change us quite in the same way as trusting in him can do within us. We are made right with Christ Jesus - that means we might not see all the change he has done in us, but...

Laughter can conceal a heavy heart, but when the laughter ends, the grief remains. (Proverbs 14:13 NLT) I have been around some pretty jovial individuals and wondered how they could be so genuinely happy in the midst of great times of struggle in their lives. There seemed to be a fountain of joy that came from deep within that just kept on giving. I have also been around individuals who are laughing, making light of circumstances, but who do not have any genuine joy in the moment. Their laughter does little more than conceal their true feelings. They are experiencing grief, sorrow, and pain - yet they mask it with laughter and lighthearted joking. What is the saddest part of it all is that when their laughter ends, they still have all that pain. It has taken me years to learn to 'read' the emotions of those around me. Learning to discern the 'true heart' of an individual is not something to be taken for granted. When God reveals something about the struggle another per...

Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. (Romans 12:15 NLT) We all know it is easier to be happy with someone than it might be to come alongside them when they grieve, feel under the weather, or are just plain depressed. "Sadness" is a condition that has a profound impact on our minds, bodies, and even our spirit. Unwanted life events, unexpected health concerns, and even a lack of sleep can lead a person into times of feeling more than a bit 'off' in some form, right? How do we handle those moments when they are not our own - when another isn't 'quite right'? Scripture reminds us to be there for them - to come alongside and even to feel their sadness and grief. Ups and downs come - they are part of life. We cannot avoid some of them, even if we try. Things like relationship woes might not be the easiest to deal with, but they come, don't they? Health fails us at some point, no matter how well we take care of ourselves. The eve...

A sensible person wins admiration, but a warped mind is despised. (Proverbs 12:8) Emotion enters into so many decisions we make every day, making those decisions less than reliable on many more occasions that we'd like to admit. Sensible people don't rely upon emotion, no matter what. They run their decisions through a much more reliable source. Would that be experience? Sometimes experience is not always reproducible, so relying upon experience alone is not sufficient. The reliable source we need is God's Word and the affirmation/leading of his Holy Spirit. Relying upon emotion or experience alone often proves unreliable - sometimes hitting the mark and missing by a mile at others. Good sense isn't gained by osmosis, my friends. It comes while sitting at the feet of Jesus. Yes, putting your hand against a hot pot and withdrawing it quickly will form a memory that pots get hot on the stove. Does that memory keep you from getting burned somewhere else down the road? N...

And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. (Romans 12:1-2) When we get honest with God, ourselves, and others, we might just find ourselves expressing some feelings and thoughts that we have kept bottled up for a while. We start to share what we are experiencing - at the 'gut level'. True honesty with God begins with true honesty with ourselves. Until we are willing to be truthful about what we have been feeling or experiencing in life, we will just live truly superficial lives - emotionally, relationally, and spiritually. Dishonesty with oneself actually creates a pretty negative outcom...

God warns us to guard our heart above all else, simply because it determines the entire course of our lives. As we think of the heart, we must remember it encompasses our mind, will and emotions. One must guard the mind, have a determined will that is unwilling to compromise even one iota, and to have an evenness of emotions that don't carry us away. Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. (Proverbs 4:23) Above all else. We get so distracted by what we think may not be 'all that bad', but in truth, whenever we look toward anything or anyone other than God himself, our hearts are already putting something else 'above' God. Needless to say, we have raised a whole generation of individuals whose mind is easily amused by whatever catches its attention. Perhaps the greatest challenge to individuals today is to have their mind focused with so many distractions working hard to distract one from their focus. The will of a man is kind ...

No one can know a person’s thoughts except that person’s own spirit, and no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit. And we have received God’s Spirit (not the world’s spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us. (I Corinthians 2:11-12) A person's heart is a treasury of dreams and imagination, but it is also a harborer of doubts, fears, and failures, isn't it? We might hold onto certain dreams, hoping for their fulfillment, all the while investing a great deal of our heart's energy and attention into seeing those dreams through to fruition. We also hold onto certain failures, hurts, and habits that our heart seems to wrap much emotional energy around that could be spent pursuing better things. God knows what is contained within our hearts - the good, the bad, the beautiful, and the ugly. Isn't it a wise choice to ask him to sort out what is in our heart, revealing what should be kept and nurtured, while letting go of what only resu...

I have had those moments when I just wanted to say or doing something, but if I did, I knew the backlash would be more than I wanted to receive. It is a battle of the mind and will over emotions at times, isn't it? We 'think better' than our emotions tend to lead us on occasion - perhaps making 'emotions' one of the hardest and most fickle things we have to deal with once we get our mind under the tutelage of the Holy Spirit. Doing wrong is easy - doing right is a bit harder at times. Behavior matters, no matter what anyone says - behavior stems from all three - mind, will and emotions. Doing wrong leads to disgrace, and scandalous behavior brings contempt. (Proverbs 18:3) Back in the day, teachers used to give out little 'awards' to students with great academic achievements, including those who consistently exhibited good 'classroom behavior'. As you might have guessed, I might have received a few notes home to mom saying I was a bit of the clas...

Our words have a tendency to just escape our mouths before we have a chance to really think about how we are responding, don't they? On occasion, we say things that should have been left unsaid, causing hurt feelings and sometimes crushed dreams. I know Covey says we are to seek to understand the other person first, then make ourselves understood AFTER we have listened well. That part about 'listening well' isn't actually in operation when we are blurting out our words without thought! A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare. Gentle words are a tree of life; a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit. (Proverbs 15:1, 4) A tree of life - did you ever think of your words in that way? Our words reflect more than our present attitude - they reflect our 'indwelt attitude'. The more Christ fills our hearts, the more of his grace and truth we will express - even when our 'attitude' is tired, on edge, or bordering on needing an adjustme...

“Fools die because they refuse to follow wisdom. They are content to follow their foolish ways, and that will destroy them. But those who listen to me will live in safety and comfort. They will have nothing to fear.” (Proverbs 1:32-33) The old song, "Fools rush in", admits that some can be so blinded by something or someone, all reasonable thought flies out the door. One of the lines in the song actually says, "Though I see the danger there, if there's a chance for me, then I don't care..." It goes without saying that we rush into danger more times than not simply because we failed to exercise wisdom in those moments. How can we get to the place where we 'don't rush in'? We learn to listen to God's voice! God-given wisdom far exceeds human wisdom, but somehow, we think it is okay to just trudge right on into those moments we will come to regret later on. We refuse to listen to his wisdom and find ourselves treading on thin ice. Another line f...

 And because you belong to Christ Jesus, God’s peace will stand guard over all your thoughts and feelings. His peace can do this far better than our human minds.(Philippians 4:7) Those who belong - do you 'belong'? Some perceive 'belonging' as having the 'proper credentials', such as when you 'belong' to the country club in your local town and can get the benefits of that 'membership'. Others might think of 'belonging' as 'being properly placed' - having a specific purpose in what you do somewhere for someone. The oldest meaning of this world indicated a certain 'dependence' upon one another or someone with a 'greater position' than you had. If we think of 'belonging' to Christ as 'having a relationship' with one who holds a 'superior position', we might just be a little closer to how this word is used in scripture. To 'belong' to Christ suggests a relationship of willing service to ...

You formed the way I think and feel. You put me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because you made me in such a wonderful way. I know how amazing that was! (Psalm 139:13-14) If you ever want to discount your feelings, don't! God made those emotions, and he knows how you will respond with them when life gets tough, sends a surprise your way, or gets you excited for something new you are about to experience. He formed the way we think AND the way we feel. In other words, he knows how we will 'interpret' the things we are experiencing. To think God doesn't know the way our brains work is a really silly belief. To imagine God doesn't want us to acknowledge our emotional responses to life's moments is also very foolish. He made both and he isn't 'put off' by how we think or what we feel. He may want to help us think a little clearer and have less fluctuation in our emotions on occasion, but he isn't surprised by either! The way we think can b...

Let all who fear the Lord repeat: “His faithful love endures forever.” In my distress I prayed to the Lord, and the Lord answered me and set me free. The Lord is for me, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me? (Psalm 118:4-6) The more we interact with people around us, the more we realize it is almost impossible to please everyone. There will always be someone in the group who thinks differently, opposing every move we make. What do we do when we face opposition? If you are like me, you get a little distressed by the resistance at times. You might want to just pull in like a snail inside its shell, but that doesn't solve the issue, does it? I have learned to take my distress to the only one who can 'de-stress' it - God. I bring the issue to him, but I also bring the 'players' in the issue - including me! There are times when my attitude is the one needing adjustment, while it is the attitude of others that needs it at others. Who am I to judge whi...

 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7) I imagine one of the hardest things we can 'learn' in life is the act of trusting when you aren't too sure what is going on around or within you. Some of our worries and anxieties are because there are numerous external forces at work that we see, but may not fully understand. At others, our worries are much more 'covert' - we 'feel' them, but we don't have a clue why they are there. These can be a result of circumstances, but they can also be a result of some internal conflict that is putting our emotions through their paces. How does one get to the place of 'not worrying' when life seems to be creating chaos, or our emotions are in a muddle? If you are like ...

I said to myself, “I will watch what I do and not sin in what I say. I will hold my tongue when the ungodly are around me.” But as I stood there in silence—not even speaking of good things—the turmoil within me grew worse. The more I thought about it, the hotter I got, igniting a fire of words... (Psalm 39:1-3) Have you ever tried to NOT say something, only to find the harder you try NOT to say it, the more you THINK about it? You mull those words over and over in your mind, trying to figure out if you can find another way to say it, but all the while you are aware those words just shouldn't be spoken no matter how you form them. It always amazes me how 'hard' we can try and how 'easy' it is to let loose! The more we 'mull', the more we will 'spew' - it might not be a verse from the bible, but you can take that one to the bank! These negative words we mull upon actually create a kind of turmoil within - much like that of a funnel cloud. We get all...

Careful words make for a careful life; careless talk may ruin everything. (Proverbs 13:3) We all manage to say things we later regret, don't we? In a moment of 'not thinking', we blurt out something that either comes across too harsh, too crass, or too weird. In that moment, we almost wish we could snatch them back right out of the air, hoping they would never reach anyone's ears. It has proven difficult for me to actually snatch back words once spoken, although I have found myself doing more than my share of ' back-pedaling ' to attempt to 'get out of' whatever it is I have managed to get myself into. Careless words just hang there for a while, don't they?  How do we become for 'careful' with our words? You might not believe this, but it is by engaging our brain before we engage our mouth! We disengage our emotions, think through what needs to be said and how it should be said, then consider if it even needs to be said at all. Why would I s...

A gentle answer will calm a person’s anger, but an unkind answer will cause more anger. (Proverbs 15:1) Our answers matter, so perhaps this is why God asks us to take time to consider the words we deliver. They can build us up, giving us just the right amount of encouragement to take a step forward. They can also tear us down, anchoring us even further into the doubts and frustrations we have at the moment. If we become angered with one another, it could be out of frustration, or even a feeling like we have lost some 'control' in the matter. When things cause us to 'spin' into anger, we say things we might have never intended to say. It is like a leaky pipe, at first not noticed, but eventually it will burst, leaving damage in its wake. All of us get a little irritated at times, no matter how 'godly' we are. It isn't that we have a lifestyle of anger, it is just that we have moments when we are overly tired or overwhelmed by life, and our response may be a ...

  Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life. (Psalm 139:23-24) Have you ever prayer a similar prayer? It is a kind of scary thing to ask God to test your heart and mind to see if there is any offensive stuff there, isn't it? You almost don't want to ask because you know there is! When God points out what 'offends' him, he doesn't do it to humiliate us, or even to chastise us. He does it to show us how deeply he loves us - because he wants us to be free of all that garbage that takes up emotional, mental, or physical space in our lives. To be led, one must submit to the one leading. To be whole, one must submit to the one capable of ridding us of all the stuff that keeps us 'broken' and 'hurt'. When we don't know the way, we seek guidance via a mapping service, GPS, or the good old way of asking someone for directions. Why do ...

So this is my prayer: that your love will flourish and that you will not only love much but well. Learn to love appropriately. You need to use your head and test your feelings so that your love is sincere and intelligent, not sentimental gush. Live a lover’s life, circumspect and exemplary, a life Jesus will be proud of: bountiful in fruits from the soul, making Jesus Christ attractive to all, getting everyone involved in the glory and praise of God. (Philippians 1:9-10) What does it mean to 'learn to love appropriately'? If we follow what Paul is teaching here, we will realize reliance upon feelings is not good. We need to 'test' those feelings - making sure they are leading us into actions that are wholesome, upright, and on track with how God would love. If they aren't leading us in that direction, they need to be rejected or refocused. Sometimes we rely heavily upon how we 'feel' toward another person or a situation, but then find ourselves not 'fee...