The Plumbline

 Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved. (Helen Keller) We might desire all of life to be ease and quiet, but then we are living with unreasonable expectations. Jesus said, "I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) We will have many trials - not just a few. We may not face all of them with strength, but we can learn strength in the midst of them. It is important to remember there is no temptation 'unique' to any man - we all have faced a similar temptation at one time or another. What we might find 'unique' is that we all learn different things from trials that are quite similar. Why? God is developing some strength within us that will not only benefit ourselves, but will be a means of helping another devel...

Yesterday we looked at the first half of this psalm - the idea of being blessed not in our doing, but in our "being".  Being a child of Christ means we don't find our blessing in what it is we actually can check off our list at the end of the day, but in the nearness we created to Jesus and others we are in relationship with.  As we examine the remainder of this psalm, we find some sage counsel for men and women in the business world.  I am always enthralled when I meet someone who has made a solid reputation for themselves in the community they serve through their business, especially when I see how well they have prospered without making compromises in their principles or in their practices. I will gravitate toward their businesses if I need their services just for this reason. On the other hand, those who have done a less than stellar job of maintaining solid business ethics are not even on my list of consideration!  Why? Kindness, generosity, and a sense of fair...