The Plumbline

She had heard about Jesus, so she came up behind him through the crowd and touched his robe. For she thought to herself, “If I can just touch his robe, I will be healed.” (Mark 5:27-28) There is something 'desperate' about this woman's faith, isn't there? She wasn't afraid of the crowds - even though she would have been deemed 'unclean' because of her disease. She wasn't concerned that her need was too great for the healing touch of her God. She wasn't going to allow her 'weakness' to impact her drive to obtain her healing. She was 'desperately determined'. Some of us need to get this desperate and determined in our pursuit of the things we need God to do in our lives - to 'drive toward' our healing instead of wallowing in our weakness. If I can but touch his robe... She didn't even need to talk with Jesus, have him stop and acknowledge her. Her desperation led to her to believe that even though it would be better to beho...

Imagine being the 'new kid on the block', drawing crowds of seekers from all around, only to find out the 'debates' over your legitimacy are mounting just as your ministry gets started. This is what Jesus encountered as he set about on his earthly ministry. His disciples are with him, he is baptizing people just across the way from where John the Baptist has been at work for a while already. John's followers - his disciples - enter into a debate over 'ceremonial cleansing' with a Jewish man. We might not realize just how easily the enemy will use someone to question what we are doing, whether it is legitimate any longer, or which 'way' is right. It is good to see that John's disciples immediately come to him to seek clarity - to get their understanding of what John was doing expanded in light of what Jesus was doing. Any time we begin to do things for the Kingdom of God, the enemy of our souls will send someone to oppose those actions. Why? Satan...

Though the Lord is great, he cares for the humble, but he keeps his distance from the proud. (Psalm 138:6) Have you ever stopped to consider why God cares for this human race? We get a whole lot of things wrong, but he still loves us deeply. We get all wigged-out at our neighbors, spend our resources foolishly, get involved in things that consume our time way too much, and he still keeps waiting on us to realize just how much we need him in our lives. Though he is GREAT, he cares for the HUMBLE. Those who realize their intentions may be good, but their actions reveal just how badly they can mess things up on their own are never going to be rejected by our merciful and GREAT God. In fact, he will continue to draw them to himself, pouring out grace upon grace, until we finally realize our 'best self' is the 'self' that stops being too proud to seek his presence in our lives. James 4:6 reminds us that God actually opposes the prideful, but he gives grace upon grace to the...

Talent is God given. Be humble. Fame is man-given. Be grateful. Conceit is self-given. Be careful. (John Wooden) Have you ever heard the quote from scripture that God takes care of the humble, but opposes the proud man? I don't know about you, but I wouldn't want to be on the 'opposing' side to God! I am not thinking that would end very well at all.  Though the Lord is great, he cares for the humble, but he keeps his distance from the proud. (Psalm 138:6) God cares for the humble - the one who realizes how much they owe to the one who has redeemed their lives. I used to think a humble person was one who always went around kind of timid, shyly carrying on tasks behind the scenes. I have since discovered God actually has quite a few humble servants who aren't afraid to put themselves out there each and every day. They value relationships and work hard to keep not only their relationships 'solid', but they are constantly seeking to see all relationships be on ...

  Do you want to be counted wise, to build a reputation for wisdom? Here’s what you do: Live well, live wisely, live humbly. It’s the way you live, not the way you talk, that counts. Mean-spirited ambition isn’t wisdom. Boasting that you are wise isn’t wisdom. Twisting the truth to make yourselves sound wise isn’t wisdom. It’s the furthest thing from wisdom—it’s animal cunning, devilish plotting. Whenever you’re trying to look better than others or get the better of others, things fall apart and everyone ends up at the others’ throats. (James 3:13) Boast if you must, but do it with a heart totally in love with Christ and your boasts will not be about yourself - they will be about the good things God has done in your life!  As we stop for a moment together today to consider the Word of God, can we focus on one portion of this passage together? I would like us to consider the words - "Its the way you live, not the way you talk, that counts." The way you live - your actions. The...

Be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. ( Ephesians 4:2   TLB ) If you have ever worked with the elderly in that latter stages of their lives, or little children in the early years of theirs, you know just how hard it can be to constantly be telling them the same things over and over again. Add to the elderly's constantly dwindling short-term memory the issues of not hearing well, problems with their sight, and the advances of pains galore and you have a recipe for some challenging moments that put to test the fibers of your character. Think about the boundless energy of a small child and constantly challenging curiosity and you have a recipe for exhaustive patience. I wish I could say I never get frustrated repeating stuff over and over again, but I do. I would like to report I never have an edge in my voice that betrays my lack of enthusiasm to be moving at a snail's pace when I'd like to be zoomi...

As we discovered yesterday, Francis of Assisi was credited for the beginning of the Christmas carol. He was also credited for the establishment of the first nativity scene - something we have come to appreciate as a "symbol" of the Christmas season in many a culture.  At first, these scenes were simple, perhaps only depicting the three characters of Mary, Joseph, and the infant Jesus.  In 1223, Francis set up a living nativity, featuring living people as the characters in the scene - a tool whereby he could teach about the birth of Jesus.  As we all know, we humans do a lot better when there is something to capture our attention and to give us a "picture" of what it is we are considering.  The use of the nativity was Francis' way of doing just this.  We all need instruction to help us "get" what is complex and not always easily grasped by the human mind.  Perhaps we can benefit from a consideration of the next nativity scene we see in our travels this...

Have you ever answered before you totally listened?  I think this is a plight common to mankind - we get ahead of ourselves and others on occasion.  Whenever we do, the natural outcome is to either to jump to conclusions before we have all the facts we need, or to think we know the solution when we have no idea we are really aiming at.  To this end, I find myself often "backing the boat up" to start over again when I find I have jumped ahead!  I need to regroup - something which can be costly, to say the least, because we expend our energies and often harm relationships when we have put the cart before the horse.  The core reason we suffer from this common ailment of "acting before listening" is this idea of pride.  This "superior" impression we have of ourselves, our abilities, and our stance in life often gets in the way of us really hearing!  When it does, we find the issues multiply - they don't seem to decrease! Pride leads to destruction; hu...

The end of the day has come, labors have all just about ended, and you are envisioning a nice bit of sea bass cooked over the fire with a side of some freshly harvested vegetable from your garden.  Then all of a sudden, you vision is broken in upon by an "outsider" almost putting himself upon you to get you to back at work.  At first, it doesn't seem like much - he only wants to use your boat - not too far from shore - so dinner will be a little delayed, but you can soak up a few rays and enjoy the gentle rocking of the boat as it drifts on the still waters.  So, why not?  After all, he is quite popular and he tells stories people really like to hear.  As you lay there gently lulled by the slight lapping of the waters against the side of your boat, your ease is interrupted by another request - this time a little harder to take than his first. At first, you complain a little - something we all are given to at times.  Then you go about explaining how this re...

Anyone know the test of greatness?  I think it might just be whether we exalt or humble ourselves.  If you have considered the scriptures, one of the themes which comes through loud and clear is the importance of having a humble view of oneself and not exalting self over others.  Pride is one of the most important "barriers" to greatness spoken of in scripture.  In fact, the attitude of pride will never yield greatness - greatness is achieved because people have learned the value of being a servant.  It is contrary to what the world teaches - it is not dog eat dog, it is man serve man.  Humility is one of those things which actually helps us to manage our ambitions - it acts as a "governor" of sorts over what would otherwise cause us to plunge ahead at all cost without regard for others.   I’m speaking to you out of deep gratitude for all that God has given me, and especially as I have responsibilities in relation to you. Living then, as every one of...

Blessing in life is a matter of choice.  Choice is a matter of considering our options and then selecting the one which comes the closest to what we hoped to accomplish or obtain.  Sometimes the thing we "settle on" as a matter of choice is not the "exact" thing we hoped for, but it is close enough to meet our expectations.  Our action or behavior determines the course of our lives - this course goes a long way in determining the blessing or curse we experience in the journey.  It is important to remember that every wrong choice comes with a way of escape - either before we make the choice, or once we realize we are traveling down the wrong path, we turn around.  The point at which we experience the "escape" is important - most of us would rather not make the wrong choices and suffer even one-tenth of the consequences of those choices.  We'd like to consistently make the best choices - experiencing the full one-hundred percent blessing! The integrity...

Who would ever connect confession and prayer to being able to live together with others whole and healed?  Well, scripture tells us the man or woman who lives this way becomes a "power" to be reckoned with.  Some of us think when people continue to cause strife in relationships this is when they become a "power" to be reckoned with, but scripture proclaims just the opposite to be true.  Too many times we determine we cannot go any further because someone or something just stands in our way.  Sin has a way of putting up some pretty great walls - better than the walls which have divided countries! Instead of causing communication to occur, it shuts down the pathways of communication and causes us to draw inward. We neglect communicating what we struggle with the most.  Maybe this is why James tells us to make confession and prayer "our common practice" - since our common practice needs a little more than a slight overhaul! Make this your common practice: C...

Humility is often thought of as being modest or a little bit inferior to another. In reality, humility is really a spirit of deference.  It is the respectful and courteous regard of others in our lives - the willingness to take back seat or to play second fiddle, so to speak.  In another essence, it is the condition of no longer pretending - being real.  A truly humble person is not afraid to be themselves.  Our writer doesn't say "humility" - he says "true humility".  This suggests to me there is a form of humility which is not genuine.  It is the type of humility that "pretends" to be submissive to the will of another, but really there is a little resistance going on.  It is like the age-old adage of sitting down on the outside, but standing up on the inside! True humility and fear of the  Lord   lead to riches, honor, and long life. (Proverbs 22:4 NLT) I think there are a lot of ways we "don't" show our humility.  Probably one of ...

There is one character trait which is evidence of being born of God - love.  It is impossible for a man or woman to be a child of God and not love, for where God dwells, there is love.  There is something we can glean from examining God's love for us - his sacrificial, pursuing, and purposeful love.  If we are honest, if God had not pursued us, we'd probably still be doing our own thing! Love pursues what it sets its heart on - God set his heart upon us and therefore, he has pursued us since he made us!  His love is also sacrificial and purposeful - there is nothing quite like the sacrifice he paid for our sins - his dear Son.  There is an "aim" to his love - us.  Therefore, his love is purposeful, for purpose suggests intent and aim.  So, these three characteristics of God's love bespeak of some elements of heart response, choices of the mind, and actions of the spirit, don't they?  Maybe this is what love is really like when we come to underst...

We are well underway with our discovery of some of the character traits which may not be very evident in our physical appearance, but which make us quite "attractive" from the inside out.  As we begin today on our "C" List of character traits, there is really only one trait today where I'd like to focus - that of a CONTRITE heart.  For some, their first impression of "contrite" is that of being repentant, and therefore, remorseful because their is some sense of guilt one is feeling.  I don't think of a contrite heart in quite this same sense. Yep, I think a contrite heart is one with a "healthy" perspective on the value and practice of repentance.  Yep, I believe the contrite heart experiences some sort of "pain" whenever there is sinful behavior being acted out in their lives.  Yet, I don't believe for a moment God ever looks for us to be laden with guilt - remorseful in the sense of the shame or regret caused by the sin co...

Do you remember the little song that goes something like:   The toe bone's connected to the foot bone...the foot bone's connected to the ankle bone...the ankle bone's connected to the leg bone...and so on?  It was a folk song we learned in school when I was younger.  I don't even know if kids sing in school anymore, but it was a cute song designed to get us both singing and moving. As we'd sing each portion, we'd point to the parts we were singing about - hence accomplishing some physical exercise with the words of the song.  I would like us to consider another "connection" of "body parts" this morning - the knee - foot connection.  Now, before someone wants to give me a lesson in anatomy, know that I aced that class when I was in nursing school, so bare with me here! So let God work his will in you. Yell a loud  no  to the Devil and watch him scamper. Say a quiet  yes  to God and he’ll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your...