The Plumbline

I know You can do everything; nothing You do can be foiled or frustrated. You asked, “Who is this that conceals counsel with empty words void of knowledge?” And now I see that I spoke of—but did not comprehend—great wonders that are beyond me. I didn’t know. You said, “Hear Me now, and I will speak. I’ll be asking the questions, and you will supply the answers.” Before I knew only what I had heard of You, but now I have seen You. Therefore I realize the truth: I disavow and mourn all I have said and repent in dust and ash. (Job 42:1-6 VOICE) I don't believe any one of us is immune to a season of complaining once in a while, no matter how positive we attempt to live our lives the desire to complain is there. We might not understand something, see sense in a decision which was made, or even support it, and this emerges in a moment or season of complaint. Why? It is usually because we are disappointed, or maybe it is because we think we "knew better" or could have ...

I am going to ask some hard questions this morning, so if you aren't up to it, you might want to skip this one!  First, let me just remind you of the fact that before I ask you these questions, I have had to ask myself.  I survived!  You probably will, too. So, here goes... How many times do you find yourself telling of your own pain without ever once stopping to ask about another's?  Have you ever been caught up in your own list of "disappointing moments", enumerating them one-by-one for another to hear, all the while oblivious to the fact the other may have their own recent disappointments?  What about the times when all you could do was find fault with some person or idea, just ragging on and on about the "reasons why" the person is so "flawed" or the idea is so "dumb"?  If you have ever been "caught" in any of these moments - as the one who has to listen to the "complaint", dear "complainer", you probab...

3   God  won't starve an honest soul,    but he frustrates the appetites of the wicked.  (Proverbs 10:3) The book of Proverbs was written by Solomon to his sons.  He desired nothing more than to have his sons know the truths God had taught him over the course of his life.  Throughout the book, he writes about various relationship issues, how to be a good spouse, what value words have, and how not to live your life as a fool.  The instructions of a father to his sons - how fortunate that we can benefit from the lessons of a life of such a wise man.   God won't starve an honest soul - the thought provokes us to consider what it is to "starve".  What is it that Solomon could have been referring to when he spoke of the "starvation" of a soul?  First, let me say that starvation is more than the effects of a lack of food in the natural sense.  There are many forms of starvation - emotional, spiritual, intellectual, etc. ...