The Plumbline

So watch your step, friends. Make sure there’s no evil unbelief lying around that will trip you up and throw you off course, diverting you from the living God. For as long as it’s still God’s Today, keep each other on your toes so sin doesn’t slow down your reflexes . If we can only keep our grip on the sure thing we started out with, we’re in this with Christ for the long haul. (Hebrews 3:12-14) If someone were to tell me to "watch my step" I suddenly become very cautious about where I find my footing. Some things are just harder than others; some might catch us a little unaware. Sometimes we might get a little bunged up along the way - but trust me, it usually is not because we lacked the warnings! We likely just didn't heed them! God's plan is not to trip us up or wear us out on the journey, but to bring us to our next destination "unscathed" and "safe"! Satan doesn't want heaven filled - he wants hell filled! He wants companions in his e...

At times we all wonder why we are traveling a particular road. We cannot put our finger on why it is we are facing the challenging, and sometimes a little treacherous road we must cross. In those moments, we wonder if we made a wrong turn somewhere, or if this is the way life is supposed to be - potholes, narrow and sometimes hair-raising switchbacks, and climbs so hard you almost peter out on the way up. I guess I face those roads a little differently than some. Instead of wondering why I am on the road, I just ask! In fact, in time I come to discover something unique about every road I have traveled - I am not traveling it alone! I may have made a wrong turn - but I still don't travel alone. I have Jesus right alongside me no matter what road I am on and this one thing I know - I cannot "bail" - the road will be traveled! Keep and live out the entire commandment that I’m commanding you today so that you’ll live and prosper and enter and own the land that God prom...

I saw this post today that simply stated: "Difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations." The quote belongs to Zig Zigler and ends with, "The best is yet to come." This thought captured my mind for just a few moments. Why? Some of us are on the most difficult road of our lives right now, while others of us are enjoying our destination! Why is it that we cannot all enjoy the destination without the difficult roads? I think there is much to be learned in the journey, complete with all the twists and turns, perilous drop-offs, and even those rutted paths that seem to jostle our fillings loose! That said, perhaps the journey may be equally as important as the destination! He gives strength to the weak. And He gives power to him who has little strength. Even very young men get tired and become weak and strong young men trip and fall. But they who wait upon the Lord will get new strength. They will rise up with wings like eagles. They will run and not get tired. T...

We should not judge people by their peak of excellence; but by the distance they have traveled from the point where they started. (Henry Ward Beecher) 5  Trust the  Lord  completely, and don’t depend on your own knowledge. 6  With every step you take, think about what he wants, and he will help you go the right way.   7  Don’t trust in your own wisdom, but fear and respect the  Lord  and stay away from evil.   8  If you do this, it will be like a refreshing drink and medicine for your body. (Proverbs 3:5-8 ERV) If you have ever watched one of those "talent" shows, you might be familiar with the concept of the "big red X". You see, as the musicians, singers, and performers take stage, they are in a position of proving they are not deserving of the "big red X". They hope for a standing ovation, and most importantly, for the overwhelming approval of the three or four judges sitting in front of them. In our lives, we sometimes don't "pu...

I once heard it said that disappointment is the fertile breeding ground of discontent - the more we hope for something that may not ever happen or takes way longer to happen than we imagined, the more discontent we become in the circumstance we are living. It is because we are so focused on the object of our hope that we lose sight of the many blessings already right here in front of us. It is possible to be too "future focused" - hoping continually for something "better" in the future - that we forget just how blessed we are right now. The blessing of the Lord makes a person rich, and he adds no sorrow with it.   (Proverbs 10:22 NLT) My pastor spoke this past weekend about the realization of goals - getting from "here" to "there". As he made his point, he reminded each of us of the dangers of getting somewhat off-course "on the way" by the things that distract us somewhere in the midst of that journey. As he put it, "You wi...

For his eyes are on  the ways of a man,   and he sees all his  steps. (Job 34:21 ESV) While considering this morning's passage, it brought to mind by an East Indian poet by the name of Rabindranath Tagore: "You can't cross the sea merely by standing and staring at the water." The steps of a man are always in the sight of the Almighty - even when all he is doing is standing and pondering what it would be like to "get across" to the next place he'd like to be! The eye of man takes in the water in front of him, but God knows the passage safely through that water to the other side. Confucius said, "When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, don't adjust the goals, adjust the action steps." While not all our goals are exactly what God would have for us, in adjusting the "action steps" we take toward those goals, it often becomes apparent the ones which he never intended to have us pursue in the first place! As we ponder our...

If a person lives many years, then he should  learn to  enjoy each and every one; but he should not forget the dark days ahead, for there will be plenty of them. All that is to come— whether bright days or dark —is fleeting.    Be happy,  and celebrate all of the goodness of  youth while you are young. Cultivate a cheerful heart every day you have youth. Go where your heart takes you. Take in the sights.  Enjoy,  but remember that God will hold us accountable for all that we do.    When all is said and done,  clear your mind of  all its  worries. Free your body of  all its  troubles  while you can,  for youth and the prime of life will  soon  vanish. (Ecclesiastes 11:8-10 VOICE) Bette Davis said, "Old age is no place for sissies".  Isn't that the truth! Someone else said something along the line of doing all this stuff, spending all this money, exerting all this effort to help someone a...

Most of us would think of a journey as a time of adventure and discovery.  It is a crossing from one place into another - maybe not permanently, but it can be experienced and enjoyed nonetheless.  To others, it is a quest of sorts - a mission to accomplish something such as crossing a dream off of your "bucket list" of things to do someday.  If we view a journey as "destination-bound" movement, we kind of think of it as a way of getting from where we are to where we might want to be.  If we view it as somewhat of a "dream", we might never really make much movement toward it, right?  The truth of the matter is that a journey is anything we do or think which helps us pass from one place or state to another. If we take actual steps, leaps, or bounds to get from here to there, it is probably more of a physical journey.  If we prepare mentally and spend time in study, it may be a little bit of a journey in thought resulting in development of thought. If we add...

Anne Lamott said, " I do not at all understand the mystery of grace - only that it meets us where we are, but does not leave us where it found us ."  If you are not familiar with her writings, you might just be surprised by her openness in describing struggles with things like single parenting, alcoholism, and even her father's struggle with brain cancer.  Tough subjects, but honest discovery of the ups and downs (including the depression) of living life as it really is.  At best, this is where each of us finds ourselves - living life as it really is.  We may try to make life what it is not, but in reality, we don't control the "strings" which direct the actions of others or those which will affect our lives - we just live what comes.  I think we need to recognize the value of not living this life on our own merits, or in our own efforts. We need the grace which comes from God alone - the grace which makes us holy, not because of our own merit or actions, b...

We begin a lot of things, don't we?  How many of these do we actually finish?  In terms of finishing, we don't do as well as we do with the beginning part!  To finish well, we need to have not only tenacity, but we need to have set out on an endeavor we find worthwhile and rewarding.  If the thing we set out to do is so overbearing and adds burden instead of delight, we get bogged down and often lay it aside because it is "too hard".  It is like when we say we will read the Bible in a year.  We find ourselves reading for the sake of reading - not really taking time to savor the truth contained within.  We plug on through the "boring" chapters, get excited about checking off the finished portions, and then look at how much still lays ahead.  The issue is not so much in the starting, it is in the finishing.  How we finish is as important as that we finish! My child ,  listen to me and do as I say,  and you will have a long, good lif...

Ever feel like you have been following the directions you have received only to find you are lost?  It takes only one subtle turn in the wrong direction, one overlooked sign, or one moment of inattentiveness to find yourself totally out of the path you are supposed to be following to reach your destination doesn't it?  In retrospect, you can probably look back and recognize the point you should have turned, should have heeded the sign, or been paying closer attention to the journey than something else which captivated your attention at the moment.  What happens next?  You spend a whole lot of time getting back on course.  Sometimes the best laid plans are not always going to work out as you planned simply because the one doing the "following" of the plan is a little inattentive, huh? Without good direction, people lose their way;   the more wise counsel you follow, the better your chances.  (Proverbs 11:14 MSG) Our proverb this morning deals with g...

As I was in the Word this morning, I came across a very familiar passage to me, but one which outlined some things I think we'd do well to really hold onto as we begin this new year.  January is a time of renewal - we begin the process of sorting through the stuff we ended up with from the last year, some of it physical, others a little more mental, and then we decide what will remain and what will go.  As we go through this process, we often decide some "commitment" of some sort is necessary.  We call these "resolutions".  I don't like to make any "resolutions" because as soon as I do, they are subject to being broken!  One thing I do appreciate about the new year is the chance for a fresh start.  It is like God gives us a clean slate - a chance to begin again.  So, as the days tick by, what we chose to do with our "clean slate" makes all the difference in the outcome of the year! The revelation of  God  is whole   and pulls our lives...

Enough:  adequate for the want or need; sufficient for the purpose or to satisfy desire.    Desire:  a longing or craving for something which brings satisfaction or enjoyment.  Have you been so desperate for something that absolutely nothing else enters your mind?  You just cannot turn your attention from whatever it is you long for, craving it with such intensity, nothing else will satisfy.  Wouldn't it be awesome if you could honestly say this about God?  He - the object of your longing or craving - would be the center of your focus so much that nothing else would satisfy!  I wonder how we get to the place where God becomes the object of our desire more than anything else in this world? God—you’re my God!   I can’t get enough of you!  I ’ve worked up such hunger and thirst for God,  traveling across dry and weary deserts.  (Psalm 63:1 MSG) David tells us the secret.  It comes in "working up a hunger and thirst f...

I'm a friend and companion of all who fear you,  of those committed to living by your rules.   Your love,  God , fills the earth!   Train me to live by your counsel. (Psalm 119:63-64 The Message) It is good to have friends.  As we begin today, just take a moment to make a list of friends.  Now, divide that list into those who you could say were more than just your acquaintances - the list probably got a little shorter.  To further refine this list, let's divide out those who we really know have our back - they are more of a confidante to us, they are a compatriot in our mission in life.  The list probably got downright tiny with that one!  We can have lots of friends, but few will go the extra mile of walking with us through our mission in life - partnering with us in our walk with Christ. David says he was a friend and companion of ALL who feared God.  Then he broke that down a little further - of th...

 You're blessed when you stay on course, walking steadily on the road revealed by  God .   You're blessed when you follow his directions,  doing your best to find him.   That's right—you don't go off on your own;  you walk straight along the road he set.   You,  God , prescribed the right way to live;  now you expect us to live it.   Oh, that my steps might be steady,  keeping to the course you set;     Then I'd never have any regrets  in comparing my life with your counsel.     I thank you for speaking straight from your heart;  I learn the pattern of your righteous ways.  I'm going to do what you tell me to do;  don't ever walk off and leave me. (Psalm 119:1-8 The Message) Have you ever stopped to really notice the signs that guide you along your journey everyday?  As I traveled to work yesterday, I took some time to actually notice as many of t...