The Plumbline

A great artist can paint a great picture on a small canvas. (Charles Dudley Warner) God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. (I Peter 4:10) I cringe whenever I hear someone say that God couldn't use them or that their 'gifts' were too insignificant to 'count' in the scheme of things. God created each of us uniquely - some with a great big 'canvas', others with a 'small' canvas, but the thing he created is what makes the difference, not the size of the 'canvas'. We all have probably heard that good things come in small packages. I think God uses the canvas of our lives to paint a picture of his grace and love. We are a 'display' of both! Use your spiritual gifts, regardless of how 'small' or 'insignificant' you may believe them to be. The beauty displayed in a life that has been redeemed by his grace doesn't find its significance in the 'qua...

I had the opportunity this week to read through the account of God delivering the Israelites from their Egyptian overlords and what happened after their deliverance. One thing caught my attention quickly - how much they complained about what God was doing. They complained as they faced the Red Sea. They launched another complaint when they came across the bitter waters in the region of Marah. Even after God performed miracles to redeem them from their captors and take care of their basic need for potable water, they still found reason to complain when their bellies were empty! I don't know about you, but when God does something 'big' in my life, it makes me sit up and take notice. When he does something 'small' in my life, I might miss it until I see a bunch of 'small' things mount up to a 'big' thing, but I eventually find the opportunity to acknowledge what he has done. God isn't always going to work in the 'big' ways in our lives, but ...

Everything good comes from God. Every perfect gift is from him. These good gifts come down from the Father who made all the lights in the sky. But God never changes like the shadows from those lights. He is always the same. God decided to give us life through the true message he sent to us. He wanted us to be the most important of all that he created. (James 1:17-18) Whenever we are faced with something that is less than good, honorable, or pure, we can know for sure that it is not from God. It is something of this 'earthly realm' that really isn't meant as 'the best' for us. When we settle for what isn't the best, we actually are rejecting what God has prepared for us that is meant for our good. We should never think God is tempting us with the 'less than' stuff in life - it is either our own fleshly desires having their way, or the enemy of our soul purposing to redirect our attention away from God.  We are important to him, so he prepared in advance...

What can I offer the Lord for all he has done for me? I will lift up the cup of salvation and praise the Lord’s name for saving me. I will keep my promises to the Lord in the presence of all his people. (Psalm 116:12-14) We all have those moments when we want to offer something to God, but whatever it is we seem to come up with just doesn't seem like enough. God doesn't ask much from us - he gives us so very much, but he asks little in return (or so it seems). If you have ever tried to keep your promises that you have made to God, you might have discovered it can be a little harder than you first thought! As our psalmist points out, there are a few things we can 'offer the Lord'. If you have also tried to share your faith with another, you are doing one of the things he outlines. The testimony God gives us is actually a 'gift' we can share with others. That hope he places deep within our heart and the sense of freedom he brings into our lives is not easily co...

When the church at Jerusalem heard what had happened, they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he arrived and saw this evidence of God’s blessing, he was filled with joy, and he encouraged the believers to stay true to the Lord. Barnabas was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and strong in faith. And many people were brought to the Lord. (Acts 11:22-24) We don't know much about Barnabas, but we do know that he was a Jew, likely well-acquainted with the teachings of Jesus, perhaps he could have been among the seventy or so who followed him throughout his ministry. We do know that he strong in faith and lived an upright life. He was an encourager - exhorting the believers to continue to grow and remain true to their testimony of faith. If you study his life a little closer, you will see he partnered with the Apostle Paul and was instrumental in helping to establish the New Testament churches as Paul itinerated throughout the land. He was generous - selling his parcel of land and giving ...

Just as there are many parts to our bodies, so it is with Christ’s body. We are all parts of it, and it takes every one of us to make it complete, for we each have different work to do. So we belong to each other, and each needs all the others. (Romans 12:4-5) What 'part' do you play in your varied relationships? If you are a mom, you likely fulfill roles such as chief cook & bottle washer, laundress, personal hygiene aide, and even thrift-minded shopper. If you are employed as a mechanic, you not only diagnose every squeak, plink, and plunk an automobile makes, but you are adept at figuring out how to set those things right again. We all have 'parts' to play in our daily work and home lives, but we also have a very unique 'part' to play in the Body of Christ - the church. Don't be deceived by those four walls you label as a church - the place where you 'go' on Sundays to worship for a couple hours. Complete with pews, chairs, choir loft, podium,...

We are all gifted. That is our inheritance. (Ethel Waters) So we must be more careful to follow what we were taught. Then we will not stray away from the truth... The Lord himself first told about this salvation, and those who heard him testified it was true. God also testified to the truth of the message by using wonders, great signs, many kinds of miracles, and by giving people gifts through the Holy Spirit, just as he wanted. (Hebrews 2:1,4) At times, it seems we have nothing 'good' going on in our lives - like life has stood still. If we knew what was going on 'behind the scenes', we might look at the 'stillness' of the moment we are enjoying as a kind of 'present' that prepares us for what is about to come. Even when it doesn't seem like much is going on, we still need to be consistent in our walk. We need to do the things we know to do - using the gifts we have been given to the best of our ability. Why? We are about to be launched into action ...

Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can. (Arthur Ashe) There are times when we find ourselves thinking we don't have 'enough' of the 'right stuff' to do what lies ahead. We discount what we have, thinking only about what we lack. Ashe put it very well - use what you have, right where you are today, in the best way you can, and you might just see that God that as an offering he can totally bless! What we 'don't have' doesn't have to dictate what we can do with what it is we have been given! We all have gifts. They differ according to the grace God has given to each of us. (Romans 12:6) On the path of 'doing what we can', we might just discover God has given us something we didn't even know we had. It is while we are going about the things God asks us to do when we discover what we thought was 'missing' really didn't matter all that much because God had something else in mind. He had prepared us for that moment o...

Just think—you don’t need a thing, you’ve got it all! All God’s gifts are right in front of you as you wait expectantly for our Master Jesus to arrive on the scene for the Finale. And not only that, but God himself is right alongside to keep you steady and on track until things are all wrapped up by Jesus. God, who got you started in this spiritual adventure, shares with us the life of his Son and our Master Jesus. He will never give up on you. Never forget that. (I Corinthians 1:7-9) Wouldn't it be nice to "not need a thing"? To be so "set" in life, nothing we could buy or be given is really needed any longer. If you were to ask a child what they "needed", their list of "needs" would perhaps include the latest super-hero characters, a new building set, or an electric scooter/moped - they might include books, clothes of the latest fashions, or more. If you ask an adult, their "needs" would be a little loftier - like a new set of...

For who do you know that really knows you, knows your heart? And even if they did, is there anything they would discover in you that you could take credit for? Isn’t everything you have and everything you are sheer gifts from God? So what’s the point of all this comparing and competing? You already have all you need. You already have more access to God than you can handle. (I Cor. 4:7-8 MSG) Who really knows your heart - not mine, not the next guy's, but yours? At first, you might think of someone very close to you and say they come pretty close to really “knowing” us, but do they really? Do they know the intimate workings of our mind (that could be scary), see the inner challenges of daily decisions that we make (uhm...that would be meddling), or understand the pull of our self-nature in every opportunity for compromise that presents itself to us? To be truthful here, no one really has that kind of knowledge of us - but some come "close". There are those who we confide...

God doesn’t want us to be shy with his gifts, but bold and loving and sensible. (2 Timothy 1:7 MSG) The gifts God gives are truly magnificent - some may try to mimic the true gifts of God, but where there is a true talent given, it shines through. I am not musically inclined, but that didn't keep me from attempting to learn the guitar. Notice, I said I "attempted" to learn that instrument, but to be totally honest here, I strummed a good strum, but somehow couldn't make that instrument 'sing' like others could. I learned the notes, memorized the fingering for some basic chords, and studied lots of hours in an attempt to become proficient. The real crux of the matter is that I wasn't going to learn! I didn't really possess that musical talent that one needs to get 'really good at it'. You just cannot force a gift - it emerges 'naturally' - as though it just fits you like a custom-made glove. If you have received a gift from God, don...

6  We all have different gifts. Each gift came because of the grace God gave us.  (Romans 12:6 ERV) Have you ever thought of yourself as "gifted"? In today's vernacular, that terms refers to someone with a special talent that almost surpasses what another would call "normal". A six year old who can play complex pieces on the piano may be referred to as "gifted" simply because the child has "mastered" the concerto. A mind given to the advancement of medical science, investing time and talent into the discovery of a new cure for a plaguing disease can be said to be "gifted". Regardless of how we view being "gifted", God may just view it a little bit differently. In his eyes, ALL of us is "gifted", but we may not fully appreciate just how "special" that gift is within us! As Paul puts it, 'We all have different gifts. Each gift came because of the grace God gave us.' God's gifts are "g...

If you stop long enough to see the display of God's amazing power, it will not take you long to realize it is everywhere you look.  The tiny ants crawling in and out of their intricately dug tunnels beneath the earth.  The beauty of the sun glistening off the freshly fallen snow and quickly frozen tree limbs.  The awe of a brightly painted evening sky at the setting of the sun.  The tiny miracle of new life held closely in your arms.  The radiant heat of the sun on a cold day.  The soft melody of the chirping bird enjoying the feeder in the yard. There are "signs" or "displays" of his power everywhere.  It does not stop in nature - it is within each of us, as well.  Scripture declares, "Each person is given something to do that shows who God is..."  We are each given some amazing way to express the power and greatness of our God - we sometimes just need to embrace this expression and go with it! God’s various gifts are handed out everywh...

Have you ever had one of those moments when you know something and no one else in the group does?  You are almost chatting at the bit to get an opportunity to share it with someone, or perhaps you have been sworn to secrecy and cannot.  Either way, it is almost impossible to contain yourself. The information you possess is almost too big to be contained.  I think this is the way it is with what God gives us - it is almost too big for us to contain it! It leaves us feeling like we'd have to share it or we'd burst.  I like the analogy of heading off to the market one day in search of a new oil burning lamp for the homestead.  You have the anticipation of the journey - for you have a mission in mind.  You have the moment of exploration - for there are many lamps from which to choose.  You have the moment of choice - for just the right one has been selected.  You have the moment of expectation - for you can imagine the light it will bring to your hom...

MORE:  greater quantity, measure, amount, degree or number.  We all struggle with a desire for "more" in some sense of the word.  More love in our relationships, more hope in our future, more money in our account, more square footage in our home - the list could go on.  Suffice it to say, we often find it hard to be "content" with the hear and now - we are always looking for what lies in the future, aren't we?  I came across a little quote I'd like to share:  "All the art of living lies in a fine mingling of letting go and holding on." (Havelock Ellis - British Psychologist)  You know what always wanting more does to us?  It burdens us down with "more"!  We have to let go of something to embrace something more.  Nothing "more" can be added where there is no room.  We make "room" by letting go, taking on the new, and saying good-bye to the old.  If we don't, they might just see us on some reality segment of the ...

We chase after a lot of things in life - not all of them are really worth chasing.  Sometimes we chase stuff which really only serves to bring us grief and disappointment.  This chasing is a part of a much deeper issue - we lack satisfaction or contentment.  Contentment is a state of being "at ease" in our mind, soul, and spirit.  We don't need activity - we are at rest.  Sometimes ceasing is the best remedy to chasing!  Satisfaction really a sense of being grateful - fulfilled in what we have and who we are. Go after a life of love as if your life depended on it—because it does. Give yourselves to the gifts God gives you.  (I Corinthians 14:1 The Message) Paul reminds us of the importance of pursuing the right stuff - in turn, it will bring us into a place of contentment like nothing else can.  It is in the giving of ourselves to the gifts God gives us that we find our greatest place of contentment (fulfillment).  Before you tell me you ...