The Plumbline

Charm and grace are deceptive, and superficial beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord reverently worshiping, obeying, serving, and trusting Him with awe-filled respect, she shall be praised. (Proverbs 31:30 Amplified Bible) I know so much emphasis is placed on physical beauty these days. There are all kinds of ways to be 'fit' and 'trim'. The media hypes it. The billboards put it out there in larger-than-life fashion. The fitness studios promote it. All that is 'beautiful' is not outward - true beauty begins in the heart. A heart desperately in love with Jesus, devoted to serving him, is truthfully the most beautiful thing I have ever observed. Superficial beauty is one thing - inward beauty is quite differently displayed. How many hours a day does it take to 'put on your face' for the world to see? The only 'face' that really matters is the one that reflects the heart! That heart 'reverently worships' her Lord and Savior. There i...

If   God   doesn’t build the house,   the builders only build shacks. I f   God   doesn’t guard the city,  the night watchman might as well nap. (Psalm 127:1-2) Just a couple of thoughts today as we break down this passage a bit - God must be central in all we set out to accomplish and he must be central in all our relationships. We can 'build and build', all the while not really building of any long-term value. I was able to get some free pallets a while back and decided to break them down into usable pieces that I could build some raised gardens with. They lasted about four years before decay began to make them no longer useful. I had to replace all that hard work with block beds because of the decay. They looked good for a while, but as time went on, the wood didn't hold up to the elements.  There are times when we 'build and build' in our relationships, thinking what we are 'building' is strong and stable, only to find they aren't as 'stable'...

" The tragedy of life is often not in our failure, but rather in our complacency; not in our doing too much, but rather in our doing too little; not in our living above our ability, but rather in our living below our capacities ." (Benjamin E. Mays) Complacency becomes the norm too many times in our lives - pleased at what we have become, accomplished, or been able to overcome - rather self-satisfied.  Complacency is one of the most cunning and deceiving enemies of our soul - all because we begin to see our "merits" and totally take our eyes off any "demerits" we might have amassed along the way.  When we focus only upon the merits of one's character, we are really making ourselves "unaware" of any potential flaws.  Those who forget their flaws have no desire to grow because they become content with what they already have done, experienced, or know in life. I can do all things because Christ gives me the strength.  (Philippians 4:13 NLV) ...