The Plumbline

Seek the Lord while you can find him. Call on him now while he is near. Let the wicked change their ways and banish the very thought of doing wrong. Let them turn to the Lord that he may have mercy on them. Yes, turn to our God, for he will forgive generously. (Isaiah 55:6-7 NLT) Those who seek will find. Those who hunger will be fed. Those who hurt will be healed. Those who obey will be blessed. There are a multitude of promises in scripture, all promising hope for a particular spiritual, emotional, or physical need within our lives. The premise for all those promises is a seeking heart. When our heart is set to 'seek mode', our needs are sure to be met! Seeking isn't haphazard, though. We are to 'seek while we can find him'. There may be those who have no desire to find what it is they need the most. I have noticed that I find God in the weirdest places sometimes. I didn't even know I was seeking at that particular moment, but I must have had an open heart ...

That’s why, when I heard of the solid trust you have in the Master Jesus and your outpouring of love to all the followers of Jesus, I couldn’t stop thanking God for you—every time I prayed, I’d think of you and give thanks. But I do more than thank. I ask—ask the God of our Master, Jesus Christ, the God of glory—to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing him personally, your eyes focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is he is calling you to do, grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life he has for his followers, oh, the utter extravagance of his work in us who trust him—endless energy, boundless strength! (Ephesians 1:18) I ask... These are powerful words. Ask God for something and you are sure to see some form of action on his part. It may be to open a door, while closing another. Asking is done with the intention of receiving something, right? there are three things we can ask for and actually should continually ask for in our lives. To be made discernin...

If you ever played that childhood game of 'hide and seek', you are probably aware someone is given the task of 'finding' and the others are given the task of 'hiding'. The challenge was to find the 'best' hiding place so you didn't get found. Back in the day, we had a great neighborhood for hiding - lots and lots of really well-concealed hiding spots on my property and the two that adjoined it. We had 13 citrus trees, a huge mulberry tree, and two pretty impressive sized junipers in my yard alone - not to mention the chicken coop, the fenced in pool area, shrubs, shed, and the like. All provided ample hiding space for one who could scurry up the trunk, duck behind a wall or two, or into the cover of the leaves fast enough. As I recall all the places I hid, none was as safe as the place I run to now! I run to the safety of God's arms. Today, it isn't so much that I am playing a childhood game of 'hiding' as much as I find I am 'h...