The Plumbline

Does the God who lavishly provides you with his own presence, his Holy Spirit, working things in your lives you could never do for yourselves, does he do these things because of your strenuous moral striving or because you trust him to do them in you? Don’t these things happen among you just as they happened with Abraham? He believed God, and that act of belief was turned into a life that was right with God. (Galatians 3:5-6 MSG) God's grace is provided in lavish amounts - because we need all we can get! His presence comes as we say yes to him, so we are entering into a new relationship that needs to be developed just like any other relationship. The difference is that we don't 'work' our way into his presence or into his grace as we might with our earthly relationships. In our relationship with Jesus, he draws us to himself, shows us exactly who he is, tells us clearly what he likes and dislikes, and then he provides all we need within that relationship - not in limi...

If God didn’t hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our condition and exposing himself to the worst by sending his own Son, is there anything else he wouldn’t gladly and freely do for us? (Romans 8:32 MSG) God put everything on the line for us - what are we putting on the line for him? The more we ponder that question, the more we might just realize we are holding out on God. We are giving him small portions of our time, energy and talent, but when it is all said and done, we are still holding back from total obedience to whatever it is he asks of us. Why? It is too hard? We don't want to let go? We think we know better than God? Whatever the reason for holding back, we need to come to a place of surrender and let go of our justification for any form of disobedience! God embraces us just as we are, but that doesn't mean we should go through life 'as we are'. There is a change of heart that leads to a change in actions IF there has been a genuine welc...

Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen. (Ephesians 3:20-21 NLT) God is able to accomplish INFINITELY more than we ask - more than we think. Meditate on those two things for a bit today - mulling them over and over until those two very important truths meld into the framework of your thoughts and begin to influence your prayers. When we finally believe NOTHING we ask for is too big for God, we begin to ask for more than we ever thought possible! The might power at work within us - those words should begin to challenge our disbelief a little. There is a power at work within us - nothing short of divine - that creates both the right attitude and strength to face whatever challenges stand in our way. We begin to walk 'taller' in a spiritual sense once we lay hold of that truth and really begi...

Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. (Ephesians 3:17-19 NLT) We have all been given the power to understand the love of God if we have asked Jesus to be the Lord of our lives. We cannot deny the work of his love in our hearts - mind, will, and emotions made whole and healed. What? You say your emotions are still up and down? Your mind is still muddled with all kinds of untruth? Your will is still a bit unruly? Well, you are not alone! We are a work in progress - his love taking us from one healed step to another. His home is in our hearts. Not just his VRBO/AirBNB short-term stay. His HOME is in ou...

But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness. (James 3:17-18 NLT) God's presence within us brings a wisdom that helps us deal with the things of this world, including dealing with people who may be a little hard to deal with at times. It is peace loving at the very core and therefore, it takes relationships with others very seriously and sets them as a priority. We cannot be bitter and represent Christ to the world. We cannot be angry and expect others to desire his presence in their lives. It is this gentle, peace loving, yielded spirit that makes others curious about what is 'different' within us from all the others they see. God's presence within will manifest in many ways, but perhaps the most profound...

Could it be any clearer? Our old way of life was nailed to the cross with Christ, a decisive end to that sin-miserable life—no longer captive to sin’s demands! What we believe is this: If we get included in Christ’s sin-conquering death, we also get included in his life-saving resurrection. We know that when Jesus was raised from the dead it was a signal of the end of death-as-the-end. Never again will death have the last word. When Jesus died, he took sin down with him, but alive he brings God down to us. From now on, think of it this way: Sin speaks a dead language that means nothing to you; God speaks your mother tongue, and you hang on every word. You are dead to sin and alive to God. That’s what Jesus did. (Romans 6:6-11 MSG) Sin speaks a dead language - that caught my eye this morning in my reading time. There are a lot of other 'dead languages' around, aren't there? Latin, Ancient Greek, and Sanskrit are just a few. Oh sure, there are Latin roots to some of our medi...

Eventually, we’re all going to end up kneeling side by side in the place of judgment, facing God. Your critical and condescending ways aren’t going to improve your position there one bit. Read it for yourself in Scripture: “As I live and breathe,” God says, “every knee will bow before me; Every tongue will tell the honest truth that I and only I am God.” So mind your own business. You’ve got your hands full just taking care of your own life before God. (Romans 14:10-12 MSG) We humans spend a whole lot of time comparing ourselves to other humans, don't we? Even in the 'church circles' that we live within, we go about comparing ourselves with others - ones not as 'holy' and ones 'holier than us'. In turn, they are doing similar comparisons. The more we do this, the less we take time to really find out how God sees us.  All will bow before him - all will give an account for their actions while on this earth. None is without excuse - none is going to be so '...

A life is not important except in the impact it has on others. (Jackie Robinson) Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior.  Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you. (Ephesians 4:31-32 NLT) The impact of our lives may best be seen in the kindness we show others - in the expression of love we give to others or bring into situations where hurt and harm have been prevalent. Let's be honest here - there are a whole lot of harmful and hurtful things happening around us each and every day. We might be right smack dab in the middle, or we could be observers on the sidelines. Either way, we have the opportunity to bring God's love into that situation by being examples of his tenderhearted kindness and love. Where bitterness abounds, you might just see anger, harsh words, or even hurtful lies being spread. The root of bitterness combined with one's ...

For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. (Romans 3:23-24 NLT) We might not want to admit it, but we are sinners through and through. We were born with the sin nature - it is part of who we are. We give into it almost unconsciously at times, don't we? We listen to its lies and believe whatever 'feels best' at the moment, all the while ignoring the warning flags deep within our spirit that are telling us to act otherwise. Everyone has sinned, is a sinner, falling short of God's standards for living - in need of a 'life altering change' that can only come by saying yes to Jesus. God's grace comes to us without us even asking for it - offered to us in ways we might not even realize as God reaching out to us. Grace comes in the form of protection from serious harm when we choose to do dumb stuff...

And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God. (Romans 5:9-11 NLT) The blood of Christ was shed, not just because he angered the Jewish leaders, but because our restoration into right relationship with our heavenly Father required a holy and pure sacrifice. What could never be accomplished by any other means was provided, once for all in his Son, Jesus Christ. Now, through faith, and not our own works, we are restored into right relationship with God. We might want to describe it as a 'friendship' with God, but we must never take this relationship for granted. The very thing that stood in the way of us enjoying a relationsh...

He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding. God has now revealed to us his mysterious will regarding Christ—which is to fulfill his own good plan. And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth. (Ephesians 1:7-10 NLT) So rich in kindness and grace. This really paints the picture of our loving and gracious God, doesn't it? We don't deserve his 'richness', but in spite of all our sin, he loves us so much. Our freedom from sin - our way out of all hurtful and harmful habits and hangups - is given in Christ Jesus. His kindness will never be 'repaid' by anything we do or say. We can but revel in his grace and worship him. God's plan? To bring us back into right relationship with him - no longer captive to sin; no longer given ove...

If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. (I John 1:8-9 NLT) You might be acquainted with the story recorded for us in the book of John where Jesus is teaching a crowd of people when the Pharisee leaders bring a woman to him who was caught in adultery. They expect him to back them up in their desire to stone the woman to death. Jesus' simple statement really puts grace on display for us, "let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone..." Before too much time passed, all her accusers turned around and silently left the scene. His next words are even more telling as it comes to seeing the impact of grace, "Didn’t even one of them condemn you...neither do I. Go and sin no more.” The truth is that we have ALL sinned - we ALL need grace. We ALL need to embrace the words, "Go and sin no more....

For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time—to show us his grace through Christ Jesus. And now he has made all of this plain to us by the appearing of Christ Jesus, our Savior. He broke the power of death and illuminated the way to life and immortality through the Good News. (2 Timothy 1:9-10 NLT) And now... Jesus came, he will come again, in the meantime - we live devoted lives. His grace came in human form, not so we could just be Sunday Christians - so we could live powerful, full, and complete lives both now and into eternity. Our part is to believe, then to follow. His part was to break the bonds of sin, then to continue to endue us with his power. And now... Let's live our new lives - holy lives, fully devoted to him. Not because we deserve his grace, repeatedly requiring renewal and regeneration, but because it is his plan to have us in his family. We may not hav...

All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. (2 Corinthians 1:3-4 NLT) Isn't it a joy to be able to comfort someone else in their time of discomfort? When we needed it most, God was right there to comfort us. Now, in turn, it is our time to comfort others with the same measure God has given to us. Troubles souls need to find comfort and what better way to share Jesus than to bring them the comfort he provides? Comfort comes in many forms. Some of us need a warm hug or an arm around the shoulder. Others need a listening ear and a praying heart. Whatever 'form' comfort comes in, the one who needs it so desperately will be grateful for the sensitivity of your heart to be there for them in their time of 'need'.  We should never underestimate the comf...

O Lord, I will honor and praise your name, for you are my God. You do such wonderful things! You planned them long ago, and now you have accomplished them. (Isaiah 25:1 NLT) Do you celebrate God in your life? Do you celebrate his goodness as well as his correction? It is an easy thing to celebrate him when he does something spectacular in your life, blessings abounding in every way. It is another thing to celebrate him when he identifies something within you that needs to change, bringing both the conviction and the grace to accomplish that change, isn't it? We might look toward heaven when all is going well, but do we tend to look inward at our failures when things didn't go so well? The more God corrects both the big and little things in our lives, the more we can be assured we are moving in the right direction with him. We should not fear his correction because it is essentially another 'blessing' from his throne! Salvation was a 'one-time' deal. Sanctificat...

Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us. (I John 4:11-12 NLT) Full expression of God's love through us. Isn't it amazing that the unseen God can be 'seen' through the actions of love that exist in our lives? God lives in us - those words ought to make us sit up and take notice of our behavior, shouldn't they? If we would stop for just a moment before we acted or responded, considering that he resides in our hearts, we might just respond a bit differently! His love is BROUGHT to full expression in us - when we love one another, we are bringing others into his presence.  And God has given us his Spirit as proof that we live in him and he in us. Furthermore, we have seen with our own eyes and now testify that the Father sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. All who declare that Jesus is the Son of God have...

For when I tried to keep the law, it condemned me. So I died to the law—I stopped trying to meet all its requirements—so that I might live for God. My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die. (Galatians 2:19-21 NLT) When I tried to keep the law... Those words bespeak what a great many believe to be as the means by which they will 'get into heaven'. The law required US to do something, certain ways, at certain times, to get a certain result. Grace required Christ to do it all on our behalf because the 'something' we were or have been doing wasn't going to ever bring about the forgiveness of our sins. The law condemns. It never really sets anyone free. We may try to be good, ...

What can we bring to the Lord? Should we bring him burnt offerings? Should we bow before God Most High with offerings of yearling calves? Should we offer him thousands of rams and ten thousand rivers of olive oil? Should we sacrifice our firstborn children to pay for our sins? No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God. (Micah 6:6-8 NLT) So many times, we seek to 'bring' something to God, offerings of some kind - all because we 'want' something from him. It is as though we have a 'transactional' relationship with him. I will do this if you do that. The moment we try to 'transact' with God is the moment we should realize his favor is not 'bought' with our good deeds. Our good deeds are an outflow of his favor and grace in our lives! God requires us to do what is right. There is no more 'beneficial' plan for our life than to walk...

As dead flies cause even a bottle of perfume to stink, so a little foolishness spoils great wisdom and honor. A wise person chooses the right road; a fool takes the wrong one. You can identify fools just by the way they walk down the street! (Ecclesiastes 10:1-3) If you ever wondered about some of your decisions in life, you are not alone. I have built stuff, then looked at it a few years later wondering why I put it there or how come the materials haven't held up to the elements. I have said I'd do something, not really thinking through the demand it would place on my body or the time it would take. We all make those 'snap decisions', wondering desperately why we made THAT choice instead of the other. The hope is that we make wise ones, but truth be told, we ALL make some pretty foolish ones on occasion. What we do with that 'not very wise' choice is important. We can flounder around, looking for ways to escape the foolishness of it all, or we can simply go alo...

If we give up and turn our backs on all we’ve learned, all we’ve been given, all the truth we now know, we repudiate Christ’s sacrifice and are left on our own to face the Judgment—and a mighty fierce judgment it will be! If the penalty for breaking the law of Moses is physical death, what do you think will happen if you turn on God’s Son, spit on the sacrifice that made you whole, and insult this most gracious Spirit? This is no light matter. God has warned us that he’ll hold us to account and make us pay. He was quite explicit: “Vengeance is mine, and I won’t overlook a thing” and “God will judge his people.” Nobody’s getting by with anything, believe me. (Hebrews 10:30-31) If we give up, turning our backs on God's grace, do we think we will just sail on by? The answer is quite clear from our passage - our judgment isn't going to be 'aw, I understand, you just needed a break from Jesus'. It is going to be 'you rejected me, divine judgment won't be pretty for ...