The Plumbline

Your love, God, fills the earth! Train me to live by your counsel. (Psalm 119:64 MSG) We will always live by some set of 'rules' or 'standards'. Some might be quite 'good', while others may be a little on the 'errant' side. For example, we follow the speed limit - good; we spend all we make and never save anything for unexpected expenses - errant. We can follow the 'rules' set by others or those we set ourselves. For example, we pay our taxes each year - others set these rules for us; we go to bed each night in sufficient time to afford us seven hours of sleep - a rule set by us because of how it makes us feel. What we choose to 'live by' makes all the difference - who we choose to follow also makes a huge difference, doesn't it? God's love fills the earth - it has nothing but the best in mind for us. Why do we resist following his 'rules' or 'standards' so much, then? We find ourselves trying to bend those rule...

Blessed  [anticipating God’s presence, spiritually mature]  are the pure in heart  [those with integrity, moral courage, and godly character],  for they will see God. (Matthew 5:8) It is one thing to live an 'upright' life by this world's standards - it is quite another to allow God to establish the standards for one's life. When God set out his standards in his Word, he was giving us a framework by which we were to conduct our daily affairs, as well as come into and enjoy the relationship we have with him. Thinking of a standard as a guideline or a boundary, we can begin to imagine how important it is for us to have the right 'footprint' to follow. In my woodworking set-up, I have some 'templates' that I can place over the wood I am cutting, allowing me to reproduce a certain design each time. In much the same way, God's Word is a template by which he can reproduce his design in our lives time and time again. Purity of heart isn't achieved easil...