The Plumbline

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...

If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.   (Romans 12:7-8) God has a plan for each of us, even though some of us think God isn't able to use us, or that we have no 'calling' on our lives. We might be 'gifted' in ways that aren't really obvious as 'God's calling' on our lives, but just because it isn't something obvious such as preaching from the pulpit doesn't make the gift any less needed or important. Are you a giver? Do you equate that to a 'calling'? If we read this passage correctly, it is indeed a 'calling', especially when one has learned to give abundantly and without selfish purpose. All of God's gifts are meant to be used - but have you stoppe...

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.  It is nearing the holidays again, so it is time for folks to start making their wish-lists.  You know what I mean - little ones are not even finished carving their pumpkins, but their list for Santa is growing by the minute!  Now, if you were to ask a child what they "needed", their list would include the latest super-hero characters, a new building set, or probably an electric scooter.  If you ask an adult, their "needs" would be a little loftier - like a new set of tires for the car, the full collection of James Bond movies which was just released this summer, or the shiny new appliance down at the local retailer.  We probably have been asked what we want, only to answer back, "I have everything I need.  I don't need anything else."  It is likely true - we have a lot of stuff!  But "stuff" doesn...