The Plumbline

They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man’s eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, “Do you see anything?” He looked up and said, “I see people; they look like trees walking around.” Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. (Mark 8:22-25) We don't know why Jesus made him walk out of town with him. Maybe it was so he would begin to trust Jesus a little by walking with him for a while; learning to depend on him to bring him safely to the place he needed to be. We don't know why the first application of mud didn't do the trick. Maybe it was because Jesus knew something about this man, or those who were looking on that day, which made him take that time in order to help others around him come to a greater place of trust and faith. We may not kn...

While he was preaching God’s word to them, four men arrived carrying a paralyzed man on a mat. They couldn’t bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, so they dug a hole through the roof above his head. Then they lowered the man on his mat, right down in front of Jesus. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “My child, your sins are forgiven.” (Mark 2:2-5) I don't know about you, but I want these kinds of friends in my life! I want friends who will 'bare-handedly' remove rooftops for me! I want to know that regardless of my ability or faith, they are right there when I have needs I may not be able to handle on my own or even recognize I have a way to have to have those needs met outside of the 'normal' way of meeting them. How about you? Do you have those kinds of friends? Do they recognize a need in your life even before you recognize it yourself? If you do, you are truly blessed! The crowd wasn't too much for them - they saw the need of their fri...

When Jesus returned to Capernaum several days later, the news spread quickly that he was back home. Soon the house where he was staying was so packed with visitors that there was no more room, even outside the door. While he was preaching God’s word to them, four men arrived carrying a paralyzed man on a mat. They couldn’t bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, so they dug a hole through the roof above his head. Then they lowered the man on his mat, right down in front of Jesus. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “My child, your sins are forgiven.” (Mark 2:1-5) Stop for a moment to consider the faith of these friends. There is no indication the man had enough faith to do such a thing - although he certainly had the need. These words struck me this morning - "Seeing THEIR faith". It is important to know that THEIR faith got the man where he needed to be in order to receive his healing. Sometimes it isn't our faith that gets us to that place where our n...

Be sincere in your love for others. Hate everything that is evil and hold tight to everything that is good. Love each other as brothers and sisters and honor others more than you do yourself. (Romans 12:9-10) God desires a way of living that is "outside" or beyond our selfishness - the tendency we had before we said "yes" to Christ which kept us totally self-directed in our focus. Be sincere in your love for others. Sincerity is the idea of being free of hypocrisy. If you have ever caught yourself saying one thing, but thinking another, you might be dealing with this thing called hypocrisy - the tendency to be ingenuine or unreal. Neither of these traits are what God wants for us in relationships - first with him, then with others. He strives for us to be genuine or real. We are to be genuine in our love for each other, by hating evil, holding tight to what is good, treating one another as brothers and sisters, and giving honor to each other more than we focus on s...

We have perhaps one or two truly close friendships in the course of our lifetime, those marked by true intimate knowledge of each other and a depth of commitment which spans all the hurdles of how silly we can act on occasion.  These relationships matter so much to us - we work to preserve them, defend them, and even bolster them whenever things are a little shaky. Try hard to do right and you will win friends - scriptural instruction - not scriptural "advice".  The difference between the two - one is just an opinion which we can take or leave; the other is a promise based on truth. Some of us don't always "do right", though. In the realm of our "best friends", there is some amount of grace which just keeps us together and might even bind us closer together when we don't always "hit the mark" when it comes to "trying to do right". Do right; Live right; and Act wisely - three truths we need to explore if we are to maintain those ...

Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm. (Proverbs 13:20) Do you remember the story of Abraham and Lot - both with growing flocks, herds, and wealth? The time came when they needed to separate their flocks and herds because of what ranchers might have called 'overcrowding' of the animals. They were 'over-grazing' the lands, so they needed to find 'independent' grazing grounds. As you may recall from the story, Lot chose what looked best for himself, his family, herds, and flocks. He moved lock, stock, and barrel into a land way to close to the sinful people of Sodom, a mistake that would cost him dearly. The company of fools soon rubs off on those who spend enough time with them. Before long, Lot was so accustomed to the 'culture' of the day that he didn't even confront sin any longer. His choice of grazing ground may have been a little self-centered as it was 'choice ground', but that 'choic...

The person who shuns the bitter moments of friends will be an outsider at their celebrations. (Proverbs 14:10) Walter Winchell reminds us: "A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out." Do you have this kind of a friendship with anyone? If you do, count yourself blessed; if you don't, it is high time you ask God to bless you with one! A true friend will never shun your bitter moments - they will love you through them. Yes, I said "through them" because that friend will not abandon you to your folly or your grief. "True friendship multiplies the good in life and divides its evils. Strive to have friends, for life without friends is like life on a desert island... to find one real friend in a lifetime is good fortune; to keep him is a blessing." (Baltasar Gracian) Multiplied blessings don't come because we 'do life' alone - they come because we do life in communion with one another. God never asked or expected his k...

Life Hack #2: Embrace these life hacks, and it may be safe to say our foundation will be one of trust - not in ourselves, but in God himself. They help to hold us accountable for our actions and attitudes. The company we keep, as well as the company we don't keep, makes a huge difference in the choices we make in life. "Life Hack #1" dealt with our attitude toward the 'poor and needy' - how we interact within the "boundaries" of Christian love or not. "Life Hack #2" focuses on those we associate with the most. Why is this important? Wrong relationships are as dangerous as wind is to fire. Pick the wrong ones to engage with and you will find your world set on fire, but not a fire you can control! Don’t hang out with angry people; don’t keep company with hotheads. Bad temper is contagious—don’t get infected. (Proverbs 22:24-25) Angry people make life miserable for others, don't they? Anger is an emotion with overwhelming potential to destroy...

I am sometimes guilty of judging a book by its cover - like when I pass a quick judgment on someone or something because I see something on the "surface" which kind of gets my dander up, but really don't understand the reality of what they are going through just beneath the surface. We never really know what another will bring into our lives until we get beneath the surface - look beneath the "cover". Lest you think you are beyond concealing things beneath a "cover" in your lives, ask yourself this question: "When was the last time I was truthful about the toughest struggle in my life today?"  That question is telling because we often don't have anyone with whom we can share the struggle; or we don't really want to be honest about the struggle because it is kind of humbling to admit we struggle in that area of our lives. In reality, we have no struggles which are not "common" among all men and women - things like fear, anx...

Remember upon the conduct of each depends the fate of all. (Alexander the Great) The fate of all - really? I believe this to be true, for my conduct could very well influence the conduct of another. The things I say, do, or even ignore have the potential to influence and change the course of another's life. We all have that potential - so it is pretty important that we recognize it now! Alexander also said, "Whatever possession we gain by our sword cannot be sure or lasting, but the love gained by kindness and moderation is certain and durable." Two people are better than one, because they get more done by working together. If one falls down, the other can help him up. But it is bad for the person who is alone and falls, because no one is there to help. If two lie down together, they will be warm, but a person alone will not be warm. An enemy might defeat one person, but two people together can defend themselves; a rope that is woven of three strings is hard to break. (Ec...

Okay, for those who know me, you know I like a funny story, but the joke was on me yesterday morning as I walked along the canal with my BFF. Calmly walking along, just sharing our thoughts and laughing together a bit, and all of a sudden, I felt a very wet 'plop' on the top of my head! You guessed it - a bird had relieved itself on my freshly washed hair! I started this little dance in place, pointing at my head, my BFF asking what on the earth was wrong, and then she saw it. Retrieving a small stick from nearby, she was able to rid my head of the offending matter. I could hardly wait to rush home to wash it out, but at least it was 'gone' for the most part. I told her this would make good 'blog' material somehow - so here goes. There are just times in life when things are going pretty well, then all of a sudden, without warning and without pretense, something catches us off-guard. We 'dance in place' a bit, but unless we have someone alongside us to h...

You're the One I've violated, and you've seen it all, seen the full extent of my evil. You have all the facts before you; whatever you decide about me is fair. I've been out of step with you for a long time, in the wrong since before I was born. What you're after is truth from the inside out. Enter me, then; conceive a new, true life. (Psalm 51:4-6) We probably all have a close friend - someone who seems to know most of the "dirt" in our lives - hopefully it is someone you can call your BFF. To be totally transparent here, these "besties", "BFFs", and "best buds" only know us "most of the way", though. There are always some parts of "us" that we honestly believe are kept hidden away from everyone - those really secret things we just hope no one ever learns about us because if they do, we wonder if they will ever be able to love us, much less like us! The only one who really knows us "all the way...

A companion loves some agreeable qualities which a man may possess, but a friend loves the man himself. (James Boswell) Agreeable qualities? What specifically are 'agreeable' qualities? I believe most of us possess these qualities, but maybe don't put a specific 'name' to them. Things like listening to the heart behind the words and then meeting the needs of the one speaking those words might be considered an 'agreeable quality', but what other qualities would you put on that list if you were asked? Would you ever stop to consider being able to bring up a 'disagreeable' subject in a loving way without really creating an atmosphere of disagreement as an 'agreeable' quality? I would. A good friend is able to do more than just bring out the 'good' stuff in you - they are able to bring out the stuff that you know is there, but haven't been willing to deal with! As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens a friend. (Proverbs 27:17) I...

A friend may well be reckoned the masterpiece of nature. (Ralph Waldo Emerson) Do you have a 'masterpiece' in your life? I do and am blessed to have one! Did you ever stop for a moment to consider what scripture has to say about friendship? For one thing, we are highly encouraged to make God our closest friend (James 4:8). God's friendship is often revealed in the ways we interact with each other on this earth - in the ways we form relationships, nurture them, and come to appreciate the blessings we have in them. When we consider 'picking' a friend on this earth, here are some pointers from scripture: 1. They should be a constant guide - leading us toward goodness and away from things that harm.   One who is righteous is a guide to his neighbor, but the way of the wicked leads them astray. (Proverbs 12:26) 2. They will help us grow in wisdom - leaving unwholesome ways of thinking and acting behind.  Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the compani...

Bill Graham reminds us: " Each life is made up of mistakes and learning, waiting and growing, practicing patience and being persistent ." We find ourselves repeating these things all through life. None of us ever gets to the point we stop making mistakes - for all of us are capable of missteps. Yet, all of us are equally capable of avoiding them again because we learn from those mistakes. There are many things that 'prod us' into living wisely, growing well, so that we understand the value in being patient, or trudging headlong into something we should not overlook. Nothing 'prods' us more than the Word of God - put that Word into the mouth of a close friend who is looking out for our good and you have a double-edged sword! The words of the wise prod us to live well. They're like nails hammered home, holding life together. They are given by God, the one Shepherd.  (Ecclesiastes 12:11) The words of the wise - oh, how hard it is to find those words at times....

He is ever present with me;  at all times He goes before me . I will not live in fear  or abandon my calling  because He stands at my right hand.  (Psalm 16:8 VOICE) Have you ever just looked things up and down only to discover the feelings those things bring from within you are kind of saying, "I wish I could just let all this go" and you really mean it?  We hold onto way too much baggage, don't we?  Stuff we don't really need to worry about because it isn't really our business to take care of whatever it is, but we take on the issue nonetheless.  Things we get ourselves into because we weren't honest with others or ourselves about our desire to be involved.  Monumental problems caused because we didn't take time to listen, or we just heard what we wanted to hear.  You know what I am talking about - I know I don't find myself in these messes all by myself!  To really be at the place we want to finally let go of these things is really...

Baltasar Gracian wrote: " True friendship multiplies the good in life and divides its evils. Strive to have friends, for life without friends is like life on a desert island... to find one real friend in a lifetime is good fortune; to keep him is a blessing ."  Life without friends is like life on a desert island - both barren and isolated!  It is empty - almost as though it were depleted and fruitless.  To go through life without the discovery of a close friend is to walk without legs!  It is possible to get through life, but the journey is so much tougher! A true friend loves regardless of the situation, and a real brother exists to share the tough times.  (Proverbs 17:17 VOICE) What does an island symbolize to you?  The first thing which comes to mind is a body of land surrounded by water on all sides.  It may be kind of lush in appearance, as there is much greenery upon that island, surrounded by some beaches. Did you know there are really...

To many of us, friendships outside of the relationship we call "marriage" come in dribs and drabs - we have perhaps one or two truly close friendships in the course of our lifetime, those marked by true intimate knowledge of each other and a depth of commitment which spans all the hurdles of how silly we can act on occasion.  These relationships matter so much to us - we work to preserve them, defend them, and even bolster them whenever things are little shaky. We also have lots and lots of acquaintance type friendships - those we have fun with, enjoy good times among, and even share in their hardships and worries on occasion.  Yet, these are just not at the same level of those we call "best friends".  Try hard to do right and you will win friends - scriptural instruction - not scriptural "advice".  The difference between the two - one is just an opinion which we can take or leave; the other is a promise based on truth.  Some of us don't always "...

We looked at the importance of friendships yesterday, but I just wanted to ask you this - who are the five most important relationships to you today?  If I had to describe these, they would be the individuals you consider to be the closest relationships of "choice".  In other words, you actively choose to be involved in their lives, draw close to them, drawing from them and being held accountable by them.  Did you know most of us would have a really hard time giving even three names, let alone five?  Society has gravitated toward a period in time when relationships are superficial and lack the integrity brought about by developing true intimacy (deep, emotional and spiritual connection). We need to recognize the relationships of "choice" matter - for whoever we surround ourselves with will eventually begin to "speak into" our lives.  In other words, they offer counsel, guidance, and direction - some by their actions, others by their words.  Maybe this is w...

All together - a term used to indicate someone has a "complete package" as it comes to talents, treasures, looks, ability, etc.  For most of us, we give a good impression of having it "all together", but in reality, it takes a whole lot of duct tape and bailing wire to keep it that way!  I think it takes a whole lot of work and emotional effort to live that way.  In fact, I had decided a long time ago the "all together" / "complete package" just didn't "fit" who I wanted to be in this life.  It took a while to get to the point of not being afraid to let others know where my edges were a little frayed and my hems not all even! Yet, in the willingness to "get real" with others, there has been a liberty like no other.  Truth be told, the ability to be real with others only came when I realized others aren't "spurred on" in this race toward Christ by the "perfect package" they see.  In fact, the perfect...