The Plumbline

Don’t speak evil against each other, dear brothers and sisters. If you criticize and judge each other, then you are criticizing and judging God’s law. But your job is to obey the law, not to judge whether it applies to you. God alone, who gave the law, is the Judge. He alone has the power to save or to destroy. So what right do you have to judge your neighbor? (James 4:11-12) He alone - those two words put all our criticism of each other's faith, or lack of it, into perspective, don't they? We have no right to judge whether the other person is 'following Christ' as they should. We are admonished to pray for one another, bear one another's burdens, and to ask God to fill each of us with all wisdom and knowledge.  Are we guilty of judging whether a particular point in scripture is to be obeyed or not? If we exclude some portions, or even approach it with 'that applied then, but it doesn't now' kind of attitude, we might just be crossing over into territor...

A sensible person wins admiration, but a warped mind is despised. (Proverbs 12:8) Emotion enters into so many decisions we make every day, making those decisions less than reliable on many more occasions that we'd like to admit. Sensible people don't rely upon emotion, no matter what. They run their decisions through a much more reliable source. Would that be experience? Sometimes experience is not always reproducible, so relying upon experience alone is not sufficient. The reliable source we need is God's Word and the affirmation/leading of his Holy Spirit. Relying upon emotion or experience alone often proves unreliable - sometimes hitting the mark and missing by a mile at others. Good sense isn't gained by osmosis, my friends. It comes while sitting at the feet of Jesus. Yes, putting your hand against a hot pot and withdrawing it quickly will form a memory that pots get hot on the stove. Does that memory keep you from getting burned somewhere else down the road? N...

Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us. (Romans 12:3) How many times do we evaluate ourselves against other people? It may come as no surprise to you that psychologists have actually studied how people either "Compare Upward" or "Compare Downward" when evaluating their own behaviors. When we go the upward direction, we perceive someone to actually be better than us at something, so we judge ourselves against their behavior or actions. When we choose the downward comparison, we perceive ourselves as better, so we are judging them against our behavior. Unfortunately, God says that either way is wrong!  When we use others as our comparison, we find we either justify our behavior as 'okay' or we think we are so much worse than we should be. The first actually boosts what some refer to as 'self-esteem', while the latter merely pushes us further into a h...

“If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul? If anyone is ashamed of me and my message in these adulterous and sinful days, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” (Mark 9:35-38) A follower requires a leader. As we might imagine, there are tons of individuals desirous of being 'leaders' in this world. Some will rise slowly, others seemingly at the speed of light. What most leaders have in common is that they ask you to give up something in order to follow after them. What Jesus asked of us is that we give up our own way - our stubborn, prideful way of living life independently from God. Th...

We have seen that God All-Powerful really is all powerful! But he is just and never treats anyone unfairly. That is why people fear and respect him. He shows no respect for those who think they are wise. (Job 37:23-24) We serve the one who makes heavens heavy with rain and snow; winds that gentle the leaves and topple them at times; oceans that flow in and out with rising and ebbing tides; and the one who takes notice of our every action or inaction with his watchful eye. God's justice is sometimes not understood - as much as we try to understand his holiness requires the need to judge sin, it is hard for us to wrap our heads around a merciful and loving God bringing 'justice' in a sinful world. I think we have come to think of justice as everyone being treated equally rather than that a morally righteous God cannot tolerate sin and must expose it for what it is. Sin is sin - give it all kinds of other names, but it is still sin. All sin must be judged by a holy, righteo...

Love the Lord and hate evil! God protects his loyal people and rescues them from violence. If you obey and do right, a light will show you the way and fill you with happiness. You are the Lord’s people! So celebrate and praise the only God. (Psalm 97:10-12) In all our struggling to do as this says, we find ourselves challenged with prejudices galore, fears of things which don't exactly "fit" our definition of "normal", and just plain silly misconceptions.  Fear makes us do really weird things and isolates those who are struggling. We need to move past the fear and let God guide our actions. We have to move past some of our prejudged ideas about others. It may not be the things we know which hurt us and others, but the things we don't know but have come to accept as "truth", even when it isn't truth at all. Sometimes we allow the "hype" about the issue or the person to cloud our own judgment and an even more dangerous thing happens - ...

The greater our knowledge increases the more our ignorance unfolds. (John F. Kennedy) Imagine that you are a well-studied, perhaps even having accumulated a few degrees you proudly display on your walls, yet lacking in all manner of common sense. If you don't think this is possible, look again! We are told to value the degrees we can amass - gaining more and more education from our books and halls of learning - yet we oftentimes forsake common sense when we need to count on it the most! While scripture clearly encourages us to be open to 'new ideas', we are also reminded of the importance of learning 'good judgment' in light of all our 'new knowledge'. The intelligent man is always open to new ideas. In fact, he looks for them. (Proverbs 18:15) Now teach me good judgment as well as knowledge. For your laws are my guide. (Psalm 119:66) It was Kennedy who also reminded us there were risks and costs to our every action - as well as the risks of ...

We make decisions all day long, from what time to awaken to what we will wear, eat, or do within that day. Some are quite easily made - like taking a drink of water when we are thirsty, or crunching on a cracker or two when we want a snack. Others are a little harder - like when we have to figure out the budget or what market moves to make with our investments. Still others are astronomically hard for us - like taking the first step toward seeking forgiveness when we know we have been wrong or making things right when we have made a mess of things. Decisions are not all easily made - some take us some time, while others almost 'percolate' within us until they are finally fully formed and we are ready to take action upon them. There are just some that should not be overlooked, though - especially the ones that are the harder ones to make! Because of this decision we don’t evaluate people by what they have or how they look. We looked at the Messiah that way once and got it al...

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 saw a post in my social media feed this week which simply read: "Don't look down on anyone. Only God sits that high." There is much wisdom in this advice, my friends! We sometimes try to sit in God's place, don't we? The throne of judgment is reserved seating --- and none of us has what it takes to sit in that seat! Seriously, how many times do we maybe think in our heads (and hearts), "Sheesh, I'd never do something a ridiculous as that?" I know I find myself thinking this other person should "know better" or "have more sense" or "pick another hobby". They are just not doing very well and it is pretty evident, but do I need to be the one to point it out? Probably not. God is light, and in him there is no darkness. 6 So if we say that we share in life with God, but we continue living in darkness, we are liars, who don’t follow the truth. 7 We should live in the light, where God is. If we live in the light, we have fel...

Praise the Eternal!  All of you who call yourselves the children of the Eternal, come and praise His name.   Lift Him high to the high place in your hearts .  At this moment, and for all the moments yet to come, may the Eternal’s name ascend in the hearts of His people .  At every time and in every place— from the moment the sun rises to the moment the sun sets—may the name of the Eternal be high in the hearts of His people .  (Psalm 113:1-3 VOICE) What does it truly mean to be an overcomer?  I was listening to a gal share an article from her AA magazine which described a transition in thought and practice which occurs when you are finally "overcoming" your addiction.  It described the situation of being in line at the checkout counter, finding yourself constantly counting the items the individual has on the belt in front of you to see if they "really" qualify to be in the line - judging others.  As you first begin to overcome the addictio...

Have you ever been told you were a little too gullible?  In the most literal sense, we probably all start out a little too gullible, for the meaning of the word is that of being easily cheated or deceived.  We often call someone who is gullible a little too naive - they lack the experience, judgment, or information to make the right or "sound" decision.  Some of us have the experience, but lack the judgment, or even just don't have enough information to make the best decisions in the moment.  So, whenever this happens, we are literally being a little too gullible for our own good.   The gullible believe anything they’re told;   the prudent sift and weigh every word.  (Proverbs 14:15 MSG) The gullible believe anything they are told - why?  It could be because they have never experienced whatever it is they are being roped into, so it seems credible (believable) to them.  It could also be they don't have all the information about the c...

Ever been somewhere, not dressed at your best, experiencing anything but your best hair day, and maybe not totally acting your normal "self", only to come face-to-face with someone you know?  How'd it make you feel?  Kind of self-conscious?  Or perhaps like you wanted to crawl under a rock?  We've all had those moments!  What did we fear the most in those circumstances?  Wasn't it that we knew perfectly well that people evaluate others by how they look and/or how they are "behaving" at that moment?  The truth is people evaluate people - don't they?  The danger is that we only see "in part" - most of what makes up an individual is actually on the inside, isn't it? Because of this decision we don’t evaluate people by what they have or how they look. We looked at the Messiah that way once and got it all wrong, as you know. We certainly don’t look at him that way anymore. Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the ...

Three words are used in this morning's passage to describe our approach to God - fearless, confident, and bold.  These three words could all be interchangeably  could they not?  If we are confident, we are likely fearless and a little bold.  If we are fearless, it is probably because we have confidence which results in boldness.  Why are all three words used to describe our approach to God?  What was it the writer had in mind by emphasizing these three characteristics of approaching God - the AND emphasizes they do not stand alone, but ALL make up our approach.  It doesn't say, "If you are bold, approach God" or "If you possess the confidence, come before his throne".  All three play an important part in our coming before God.  Let's see why. Let us then fearlessly  and  confidently  and  boldly draw near to the throne of grace (the throne of God’s unmerited favor to us sinners), that we may receive mercy [for our f...

History:  the aggregate of past events; all that is preserved or remembered about the past.  We ALL have a history, do we not?  For some of us, the "story" is quite involved, colorful, and a little seedy at times.  For others, the "story" may be a little less complicated, kind of mundane, without too many shades of grey.  Regardless of the "shades" painted by our past, there are still things from our past which act upon us today, influencing how we interact with the present. Welcome with open arms fellow believers who don’t see things the way you do. And don’t jump all over them every time they do or say something you don’t agree with—even when it seems that they are strong on opinions but weak in the faith department. Remember, they have their own history to deal with. Treat them gently. (Romans 14:1 MSG) It is sometimes quite difficult to welcome into our fellowship those with "histories" which vary completely from our own - especially when...

Okay!  I came across this passage again this morning as I was re-reading the Psalms and just had to stop to share it!   God's love is meteoric,  his loyalty astronomic, h is purpose titanic,  his verdicts oceanic.  Yet in his largeness  nothing gets lost; n ot a man, not a mouse,  slips through the cracks. (Psalm 36:5-6 The Message) Okay...knowing me as you might, you know where I am headed, don't you?  Yep, let's break it down!  First, I want you to see each of these "attributes" of God are broken down with their own individual "descriptive" word.  Our psalmist does not simply say God is loving - he calls his love meteoric.  He doesn't reference God as loyal to his word - he calls his loyalty astronomic.  These are big terms which lend much to understanding each of these attributes.  So let's explore them a little: - God's love is meteoric!  Here's what I know about meteors (and trust me, it is l...

  6 So seek God and live! You don't want to end up  with nothing to show for your life b ut a pile of ashes, a house burned to the ground.     For God will send just such a fire,  and the firefighters will show up too late. (Amos 5:6 The Message) Amos was one of the twelve minor prophets of Israel.  He had a tough job - serving as the prophet during the reigns of Jeroboam II and Uzziah.  The kingdoms were growing prosperous - some would say they were "feeling their oats".  They had little time for God and lots of time for their good life.  The armies of Assyria (one of their rivals) were battling for the territory of Damascus.  In turn, Israel was allowed to live almost without battle and enjoy the expansion of their territory without the need for battle.  Although the nation was prospering and expanding its lands, its heart for God was not so expansive.   Values are often determined by the circumstances we find o...