The Plumbline

Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds that you plant. (Robert Louis Stevenson) Wouldn't it be good if we all thought a whole lot less about what it is we will gain from something we are doing and a whole lot more about what others may reap in return? What is the purpose of a seed? Isn't it to produce more growth? We sow one seed, but we harvest a much larger return than just one seed. The farmer who sows wheat seed is not hoping for the return of one grain of wheat - he is hoping for the return to be multiplied. We sometimes think we sow to reap, but I would like us to think differently today - we sow so others may reap from what we have sown. I know we won't always reap the return we hoped for, but that doesn't mean we stop sowing those seeds! Live and work without pride. Be gentle and kind. Do not be hard on others. Let love keep you from doing that. (Ephesians 4:2) Live and work without pride. The seeds of pride are sometimes sown withou...

William Gladstone reminds us, " Be happy with what you have and are, be generous with both, and you won't have to hunt for happiness ." I think we spend a great deal of time 'hunting' for what will make us happy in life and totally miss the stuff right there in front of us that actually has the greatest potential to not only create a sense of happiness in life, but of reward and a sense of well-being. Hunt not for what will be the next thing to make you 'happy', but for the truth that will make your life deeper and more rewarding! Whoever goes hunting for what is right and kind finds life itself—glorious life! ( Proverbs 21:21 MSG ) Hunt for what is right and kind - hunt for Christ and the truth he brings into any life when he enters it with his power and peace. Power and peace seem like opposite words, but to be clear here, where there is great power, there is bound to come great peace. We need more of Christ displayed in our lives - it isn't t...

I have always marveled at King David's absolute trust in God's love and his repeated faithfulness to turn to God when he was in a place of trial or trouble. David is attributed the "compliment" in Scripture of being a man after God's own heart. I daresay that there is no higher "compliment" or "attribute of acclaim" that carries such importance as that one! David sums up his trust for God in this one statement of truth - God delivers...he makes good. These two key understandings on David's part are what hold him together in tough times - times of trouble and trial. He has come to experience the generosity of a God that gives out of a heart without "strings attached". David is aware that God has both a "readiness" to his giving and a "liberality" in that giving. God delivers generous love, he makes good on his word. (Psalm 57:3) He is ready to give - even before the words are spoken from our lips that acknow...

William Maxwell once said, "If you turn the imagination loose like a hunting dog, it will often return with the bird in its mouth."  I wonder what would happen if we turned our spirit loose like a "hunting dog"?  Would we return with blessings like power, peace, and purpose?  Well, I think this might just be the case!  We often bridle our spirits, keeping them from expanding into territory we think only the "worthy" can trod.  Guess what?  You ARE the worthy!  You may not be convinced of that yet, but trust me, scripture declares those who have put their trust in Christ as their Savior, confessing their sins, and taking his grace freely as "worthy"! Whoever goes hunting for what is right and kind  finds life itself—glorious life! (Proverbs 21:21 MSG) To hunt is to go searching for with the desire to catch.  There is the idea of searching and seeking - not for the "sport" of it - but because there is something to be obtained. ...