The Plumbline

If any of you is deficient in wisdom, let him ask of the giving God [Who gives] to everyone liberally and ungrudgingly, without reproaching or faultfinding, and it will be given him. (James 1:5 AMP) Who is it that gives? God himself. Who is it who asks? Us. What do we ask for? Everything we know or imagine we will need. When do we ask? Usually when we need something. What do we neglect to ask for? Wisdom! Who is wisdom? Jesus. When we ask for wisdom, we are asking for Jesus to become more real to us in the moment, bringing clarity to our situation, and giving us insight we wouldn't have otherwise. It isn't that we are praying for more of Jesus - we already have all of him. We are praying for more evidence of him in our lives. Let him ask - those words are the crux of the issue. We have not because we ask not (James 4:2). We need to ask for wisdom in life's moments because we don't possess all the wisdom to navigate through them wisely 100% of the time. Sometimes we act ...

Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ. For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body. So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority. (Colossians 2:8-10) Whether we know it or not, there is a bunch of 'empty babble' being thrown around each and every day - even in the church. Empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense are everywhere. We have to apply 'filters' in order to weed through what is being portrayed as truth and 'worthwhile' reports in order to really find God's truth in the matter, don't we? Without those 'filters' given to us in the Word of God and by the power of the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, we'd get duped into believing everything we heard. The Bereans were a group of Jews who listened to the message Paul bro...

Wisdom will multiply your days and add years to your life. If you become wise, you will be the one to benefit. If you scorn wisdom, you will be the one to suffer. (Proverbs 9:11-12) I frequently speak of the importance of gaining insight into how God works, what he says about each of us, and where it is we can learn about all he wants for each of us. We find the majority of this information within the pages of his Word. When I signed up to work for various employers in my working career, I would look at the salary as only one part of that 'package'. The various benefits of working with that employer mattered significantly. The working environment and the people I would work with also played an important part. The more I knew about where I'd be working, who'd I be working with, what the work entailed, and what the rewards of that work were, the more I knew if the job was for me. The more we get to know God, his people, and his 'benefits', the more we will real...

You have charged us to keep your commandments carefully. Oh, that my actions would consistently reflect your decrees! (Psalm 119:4-5) Living in such a way so as to DELIBERATELY avoid harm or error - that is what God asks of us. It is this 'deliberate' part that we must focus on today. Conscious and intentional actions, done with consistency over the long run will lead to right living that honors God.  Too many times, actions are committed that are kind of impulsive - the exact opposite of deliberate or intentional behavior. We see or hear something, then we react. How many of us have come to realize that 'reacting' to life is seldom the best alternative? According to most psychological studies, deliberate individuals make very 'conscious' decisions that have come from quite a bit of analysis of the facts they are faced with. There are indeed times when we don't have all the facts, but we still need to make right decisions. This is why it is so important to g...

Wise people say things that give you new knowledge, but fools say nothing worth hearing. (Proverbs 15:7) Churchill once said, "We are masters of the unsaid words, but slaves of those we let slip out." Words that just 'slip out' of our mouths are often the ones we come to regret. We make promises we have no intention of keeping, vow certain things that are really beyond our means, or create unrealistic expectations because we speak words that just aren't true. Wisdom in choosing the right words, at the right time, and speaking them in the right manner is something we must master if we want to have relationships that last a lifetime. What words actually bring 'new knowledge' into our lives? Well, the first place we look for those words is in God's Word. We want to get into the Word of God so it can actually help us with sorting out the words we hear elsewhere throughout our day. Without God's help in 'sorting out' those words, we will enterta...

I have come to the conclusion rapid decisions and impulsive actions actually have a cost to them I may not want to actually pay.  Excitement fades - reality sets in and it is around for a long, long time! Being excited about something is not enough. You must also know what you are doing. Don’t rush into something, or you might do it wrong. People ruin their lives with the foolish things they do, and then they blame the Lord for it. (Proverbs 19:2-3) Being excited about something (or someone) is not enough - we must also know what we are doing! This is where we get the phrase, "fools rush in".  We indeed do stand a pretty reasonable chance of bringing ruin into our lives whenever we choose to be foolish in our timing, intent, or planning.  We need all three to be under the guidance and leadership of the Lord in our lives - timing is best when it is on his schedule; intent is better refined when it is filtered through his mind; and planning is best when it is under his watc...