The Plumbline

If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts. (I John 1:8-10 NLT) A claim is just an assertion that says something, but is it always backed up by fact? Not always. Miners back in the day tried to stake 'claim' to a vein of gold or silver because it declared it as theirs and no one else could 'lay claim' to that portion of the mining area. How many of those 'claims' left the miners physically spent and financially broke as all was said and done? Probably more than actually paid off big time. Claims don't have to always be backed by fact - they can be misguided beliefs that something exists when it actually does not! To 'claim' to have no sin in our lives is a fallacy straight out of...

Life Hack #23: Wise conversation is way over the head of fools; in a serious discussion they haven’t a clue. (Proverbs 24:7) In times gone by, men would gather at the gates of the city and engage in serious conversation. It was a meeting of the educated minds. Issues were settled there, and wisdom was passed down. The leaders of the city would settle disputes, pass judgments on behalf of a wronged party, and just give insight into life decisions. It was a place where "wisdom" was spoken. A fool was not to be the one engaged in the conversations of giving advice or passing on a judgment for the wronged party. Why? They were clueless as the intent of the heart, and this rendered them "useless" in making such decisions. They were to remain silent - for their "advice" would only muddle the matter. I wonder how much "foolish" conversation goes on in places of decision-making these days - especially since we don't have the "gates of th...