The Plumbline

What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless. Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.” You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. How foolish! Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is useless? (James 2:14-20) Faith without actions is not really faith at all, is it? In fact, faith is revealed in action. Jesus never said, "See that mountain ...

As a kid, I always tried to cover up something I did wrong - I think it was more out of "instinct" than anything else.  You don't find too many kids who just come right out and say - "Sure, Mom and Dad, I broke the vase!"  Most try to hide the broken pieces by stacking them back together with Elmer's glue!  Now, don't look at me that way!  You had your share of "cover-ups" in your time!   The sins of some people are blatant and march them right into court. The sins of others don't show up until much later. The same with good deeds. Some you see right off, but none are hidden forever.  (I Timothy 5:24-25 The Message) Sometimes our sins are absolutely blatant.  Like the time Mom came home from shopping and immediately announced to me that I had been in my Grandmother's licorice!  Now, how in the world did she know that???  I was immediately shifting into the "cover-up" mode before I could think about it!  Denials be what the...

1   God , who gets invited to dinner at your place? How do we get on your guest list?   2  "Walk straight, act right, tell the truth.   3-4  Don't hurt your friend,       don't blame your neighbor; despise the despicable.   5  Keep your word even when it costs you, make an honest living, never take a bribe.  You'll never get      blacklisted if you live like this." (Psalm 15) David asks a simple question of God - one that is quite often a consideration of humankind.  He wants to know who it is that God shows favor to - who is it that is welcomed into his presence, made to feel at home, enjoying the very fruits of his rule.  Then, as he heard his answer from God, he recorded those traits that we see in a man or woman of God that make him/her free to move about in the presence of a holy God. It begins with learning to walk straight, act r...