The Plumbline

God gives out Wisdom free, is plainspoken in Knowledge and Understanding. He’s a rich mine of Common Sense for those who live well, a personal bodyguard to the candid and sincere. He keeps his eye on all who live honestly, and pays special attention to his loyally committed ones. (Proverbs 2:6-8) Let's look at two traits described in this passage - being sincere and steadfast. To be sincere, one must be free of hypocrisy, deceit, or falseness; totally earnest in their pursuits; genuine or real in their living. To be steadfast, one must be fixed in one's direction - what we may refer to as being steadily directed. This also calls for us to be firm in our purpose, resolute; firmly established in our path. For the one whose life is tapped into the wisdom, knowledge and understanding which only comes from being intimately connected with Christ, these traits are assured, but we must work to see them incorporated into each and every area of our lives. Most of us desire to live fre...

"We all need people who will give us feedback. That's how we improve." (Bill Gates) There is a principle taught in scripture of iron sharpening iron.  In essence, it implies it takes something a little abrasive to actually put a sharp edge on us.  The "tuning up" of our character is not done so much in the little "off-hand" comments, but in the times we actually sit face-to-face and listen with intent to what the other person is telling us.  It may not be perfect, nor may it be comfortable, but if our heart is open to actually learn from each other, we each have so much to share.  As I have said before, we only see half of ourselves in a mirror, but the other individual sitting across from us has seen us back and front! In the same way that iron sharpens iron, a person sharpens the character of his friend. (Proverbs 27:17 VOICE) I saw a post recently reminding us not to change to get people to like us.  The rest of the quote just reminded...

Have you ever just plotted to do something you knew was wrong?  You know what I mean - rehearsing what you will say, how you will respond, or what you will do when someone does or says something you don't like.  Those are the moments in life I'd like to say I am less "proud" of than some of the others, but if we were to be honest I think we might all have done (or still do this) on occasion.  We feel like some "right" is violated by another - either by their action, inaction, or what they say or how they say it.  Relationships are tough business and it is hard to remain committed to the idea of being entirely genuine within them - because it means you and I will be putting ourselves out there in a rather vulnerable manner.  To do this is kind of scary.  Maybe this is why so many relationships in our world today are nothing more than superficial and why we have a definition for "acquaintance" in our dictionary!  We don't feel comfortable being ...

What makes something "stand out" to you?  If I use BOLD  font in my post, I am doing so because I want those particular words to "stand out".  If I were to parade down the sidewalk wearing all black, emblazoned with all kinds of chains and tattoos  would you think I might be trying to "stand out" a little from the gal or guy next to me?  When a company wants to gain the market share of business, they spend a whole lot of money on trying to find the "brand" which will make them "stand out" as the one to trust.  The purpose of "standing out" is usually to call attention to, think of first and foremost, be the "go to" in your life.  Jesus tells his disciples something entirely different about being the "go to" in life - "standing out" really being a result of "stepping down".  Do you want to stand out? Then step down. Be a servant. If you puff yourself up, you’ll get the wind knocked out ...

I saw a sign the other day which read, "Love is faith in overalls".  Let that one sink in a little, but don't lose sight of the image it conjures up, as well.  Think of you in overalls.  When I thought about overalls for a moment, I envisioned two types - the ones made of denim worn as the replacement to pants by a farmer, and the ones which slip over your clothes.  They are different, aren't they?  One is actually the "clothing" you wear - without them, you'd be a little naked.  The other is only a covering "over" our clothes - we don't actually take off our clothes, but are protecting what is underneath by this outer layer of cloth.  Now, back to our quote - which type of "overall" would you equate with love?  The type you wear "over" yourself, or the type which becomes what you might refer to as what really "clothes" you? For in Christ, neither our most conscientious religion nor disregard of religion amou...