The Plumbline

When the wicked man comes [to the depth of evil], contempt [of all that is pure and good] also comes, and with inner baseness (dishonor) comes outer shame (scorn). (Proverbs 18:3 Amplified Bible) Doing wrong always used to lead to some form of disgrace in society, did it not? What we might have labeled as 'wrong' fifty years ago may actually be labeled as 'okay' or 'right' today, though. Our societal norms change over time - one generation's indulgences or sins giving way to the next generation's. The fact remains - there is only ONE definition of right or wrong - the Bible! Try as we might to change the truths contained within those pages, they are unchangeable. When the wicked brings what scripture defines as 'evil' or 'vile' into practice, there is no 'mislabeling' of it as anything other than sin.  "Doing wrong leads to disgrace, and scandalous behavior brings contempt." (NLT) This same verse becomes quite easy to un...

Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us. (I John 4:11-12) We all desire to 'see' God in some form, don't we? Since the beginning of time, mankind has tried to 'see' God, going to the extremes of making 'images' of him so they could have a 'thing' to look upon that reminded them of God. The 'images' didn't even come close to really represent the character, power, or majesty of God. The truth is that God is 'evident' in each of us - his love being brought to full expression in us through the power of the Holy Spirit within. We don't need 'images', we just need to observe how God manifests himself through those around us.  God's grace has a unique expression in each of our lives. We are not the same - so what makes us think God's 'image' would be exp...

If you are like me, your conversation sometimes doesn't match your actions! You say something, but you do another.  It is a common problem we all face - getting this "doing" to match our "saying".  As I get a little bit older, wiser, and just closer to Jesus, I find the distance between the two narrows.  This is good news!  Yet, there still come times when there is a lack of congruence between the two.  Ephesians 5:1 says we are to "do as God does" - because we are his kids.  Kids emulate the actions they see in their parents.  This is why the saying, "Don't do as I do, but do as I say" doesn't make any sense to kids.  We follow examples, don't we?  We see something modeled and that is what we think we should do.  Even little goslings may be hatched into a nest of a mother chicken and before long, the goslings "emulate" the chicken - they don't know they are geese because they have only been around chickens!  Someti...

A good many times, scripture simply points us to the things we should avoid, the outcomes of wrong choices, or the warnings which might just alert us to being a little too close to the edge with some of our life decisions.  I think this might just be because we all learn by the examples set by others – what we see will hopefully help us to make the right decisions ourselves.  As often is said, a picture speaks louder than a thousand words.  I don’t see many “pictures” in my Bible, but I do see “word pictures” – those things, when put together, actually form a reference point for us.  This is what examples do – they set a reference point.  Perhaps this is why it is so important to have a good example to follow – because they act as this point of reference by which the "compass" of our lives is set. Mixed motives twist life into tangles;   pure motives take you straight down the road.   Simpletons only learn the hard way,  but the wise learn by ...

Are you a "people-watcher"?  You know - - you enjoy just sitting in the mall, sipping a cup of coffee, watching all the people pass by.  You observe their attire, hair styles, the way they carry themselves, and the people they are with.  In some cases, you see "attitude", as when the young men are gathered together in group, one working to outdo the other with a story of some kind.  At other times, you might just see the "loner" gazing absent-mindedly in the windows, not really intent on the "shopping", just on the fact they are out of their homes and escaping life for a little while.  When you stop long enough to watch another, you might just see a thing or two which you'd have missed otherwise! Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extrav...

1-2 Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn't love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that. (Ephesians 5:1-2 The Message) Have you ever heard the saying, "See one, do one, teach one"?  In nursing school, that seemed to be the method they used to help us connect between what we were learning in the books and what we'd actually see, hear, smell, feel, etc., in caring for our patients.  For example, we'd listen to lectures on the diseases of the heart.  That lecture would be complete with signs and symptoms of irregular heartbeats, swelling in the extremities, and other "signs" that the heart may not be working as well as it should be.  In our clinical setting, we'd be asked to take ...

11-14 God's readiness to give and forgive is now public. Salvation's available for everyone! We're being shown how to turn our backs on a godless, indulgent life, and how to take on a God-filled, God-honoring life. This new life is starting right now, and is whetting our appetites for the glorious day when our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, appears. He offered himself as a sacrifice to free us from a dark, rebellious life into this good, pure life, making us a people he can be proud of, energetic in goodness. (Titus 2:11-14) Titus is a teaching of Paul written directly to Titus as instruction on how to live as a godly man and to lead the church members with wisdom.  What we know from reading the first chapter is that Paul is concerned that Titus will establish local churches in Crete, ensuring that good leaders are in place who will be able to lead the people into right living.  Then he reminds Titus of the importance of mentoring relationships.  Older men an...

2  When good people run things, everyone is glad,    but when the ruler is bad, everyone groans.  (Proverbs 29:2) Much can be said about "good leaders", but the most frequent thing you will heard mentioned about "solid" leadership is the fact that people have no problem "getting behind them" in loyal support.  Good leadership does not mean that everyone agrees with every decision that is made, but that they can apply themselves to the vision of that leader and move forward in faith that the plans will accomplish the end result.  We find leaders in every area of our lives - at work, in our homes, in the community in which we reside, and over countries.  In fact, we often fill the role of leaders in some arena of our lives.  Leaders play an integral part in "directing" our future. Therefore, the leader must lead with integrity, passion and purpose - but the leader must also lead with interest in others, compassion, and openness of heart/mind....