The Plumbline

Never let loyalty and kindness leave you! Tie them around your neck as a reminder. Write them deep within your heart. Then you will find favor with both God and people, and you will earn a good reputation. (Proverbs 3:3-4) Loyalty and kindness are certainly not the things we see 'delivered' today in so many interactions with others, are they? We find a lot of backstabbing in politics, many rumors flying about the lives and choices of various celebs, and just plain bad manners on our highways and byways at times. Is it possible our culture has forgotten these two 'hallmarks' of "ONE NATION UNDER GOD"? Write them deep within your heart. Perhaps this is where our departure from simple kindness and unyielding loyalty began - we neglected to hide God's word deep within our hearts. Favor with God took backseat to favor with others. Favor with others seems to only be important if they can 'do' something for us. We forgot that our neighbor is our friend...

Be kind and honest and you will live a long life; others will respect you and treat you fairly.  (Proverbs 21:21) Goodness is about character - integrity, honesty, kindness, generosity, moral courage, and the like. More than anything else, it is about how we treat other people. (Dennis Prager) Aesop told us, "No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted." Being kind and honest may not seem like actions that can move mountains, but I believe with all my heart as Aesop did, no good or kind action is ever wasted. If we want goodness in this world, we must begin to model goodness toward all people.  I agree with Prager - how we treat others is so very important. We might not think our actions matter all that much, but they add up. One bad, harmful, or wrong action on our part may only seem like a 'drop in the bucket', but when it is compounded by the bad, harmful, or wrong actions of others who 'mimic' our actions, those 'drops' add up! Integrit...

Some people are just troublemakers. They are always thinking up some crooked plan and telling lies. They use secret signals to cheat people; they wink their eyes, shuffle their feet, and point a finger. They are always planning to do something bad. But they will be punished. Disaster will strike, and they will be destroyed. There will be no one to help them. (Proverbs 5:12-14) If you have ever had a troublemaker in your life, you know just how hard it can be to around them for any length of time. You just want to turn and run when you see them because you know nothing good is about to come of the encounter. Wisdom would suggest we avoid them entirely, but we all know it is impossible to never encounter them at all. So, what do we do when we encounter a troublemaker in our lives? If we want to learn how to deal with them, we need only look as far as Christ's example. Jesus was surrounded by members of the religious leadership, thinking they knew more than he did, always trying to fi...

Be wise in the way you act with those who are not believers. Use your time in the best way you can. When you talk, you should always be kind and wise. Then you will be able to answer everyone in the way you should. (Colossians 4:5-6) Always be kind and wise. Does that describe your responses to other people you relate to on a frequent basis, much less others who might not know you that well? We have all probably seen those funny memes that depict someone getting on your last nerve, or that one that asks 'did I just say that out loud' kind of humor. The truth of the matter is that we frequently run into situations where we could say something that would not be all the kind or wise, but we 'hold back'. Sometimes it takes more than a little conscious effort to 'hold back', especially when tempers are running high, disappointment abounds, or the 'last nerve' type of stress kicks in. Be wise in the way you act. I know the passages references the way we should...

He saw that Jesus gave good answers to their questions. So he asked him, “Which of the commands is the most important?” Jesus answered, “The most important command is this: ‘People of Israel, listen! The Lord our God is the only Lord. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ The second most important command is this: ‘Love your neighbor the same as you love yourself.’ These two commands are the most important.” (Mark 12:28-31) Jesus taught anyone who would listen - even the Pharisees and Sadducees - the religious leaders and zealots of the day who were most likely the ones who would challenge everything he would say. They weren't really all that "open" to his teachings; it was more that they wanted to find some way to trip Jesus up in his teaching and discredit him publicly. They were quite jealous of the attention he was getting - after all, they had been the primary "religious" teachers of the day and ...

Love prospers when a fault is forgiven, but dwelling on it separates close friends. (Proverbs 17:9) I know forgiving someone when they have said or done something to hurt you is hard - we all struggle a bit with this one. We might want to say something in return that returns wound for wound, but that rarely works out too well for either of us. We might want to just 'cut them off' and forget about the one who has offended us, but that also doesn't work very well. Probably the last thing we want to do is extend grace, but it is the most effective and godly way for us to deal with one who has offended us. Love prospers when a fault is forgiven. Allow that one to sink in for just a moment. Read it again and let it really grip you. Love - sacrificial, peace-loving, kindness - actually grows out of forgiveness. It is as though forgiveness is the fertilizer that helps the relationship grow. This type of love does not dwell on the wrong - although that may be our first instinct. R...

You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. (Galations 5:13) Do you indulge yourself once in a while? It may not take much indulgence to actually meet our needs, but when we do indulge we need to make sure it is for the right reasons. By definition, to indulge is to allow yourself to follow your own will. Herein is the problem - most of the time our "will" isn't very reliable! We give into our own will and find we are traveling down a path we'd just have soon avoided. When we "indulge", we yield to something which demands to be satisfied. In the end, we may be satisfying a much needed thing, but we must weigh our "urges" up front to ensure we are yielding to the RIGHT things. We are called to live "free" lives - not governed any longer by each and every urge of our old nature. You know the nature I mean - that one which caused us to a...

I said to myself, “I will watch what I do and not sin in what I say. I will hold my tongue when the ungodly are around me.” But as I stood there in silence—not even speaking of good things—the turmoil within me grew worse. The more I thought about it, the hotter I got, igniting a fire of words... (Psalm 39:1-3) Have you ever tried to NOT say something, only to find the harder you try NOT to say it, the more you THINK about it? You mull those words over and over in your mind, trying to figure out if you can find another way to say it, but all the while you are aware those words just shouldn't be spoken no matter how you form them. It always amazes me how 'hard' we can try and how 'easy' it is to let loose! The more we 'mull', the more we will 'spew' - it might not be a verse from the bible, but you can take that one to the bank! These negative words we mull upon actually create a kind of turmoil within - much like that of a funnel cloud. We get all...

Since you have been chosen by God who has given you this new kind of life, and because of his deep love and concern for you, you should practice tenderhearted mercy and kindness to others. (Colossians 3:12) Since - indicating a condition has already been met. We are chosen - conditions met entirely through the death, burial and resurrection of Christ Jesus. Given a new kind of life - no longer bound by our past way of thinking and doing things. That might just come as a bit of relief to some who have been feeling like their past keeps haunting them, bringing them more than a fair share of grief and shame. All conditions have been met - that past has been wiped away by the blood of Jesus, but our minds might just hold onto those memories of the past a little too much. The more we learn about the grace of God, the more we will realize our past is just that - past. We live a 'new kind of life' - because of his deep love and concern for each of us. The more we learn of God's lo...

William Shakespeare admonished us to, "Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none." These are more than just good words of advice. Take them apart and you might just see a few principles you'd like to live by. Love all - isn't this what Jesus said when he reminded us to, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’"? (Matthew 22:37-39) Trust a few - scripture reminds us not to trust a fool, but always to trust God. Remember: "A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. A tree is identified by its fruit. Figs are never gathered from thornbushes, and grapes are not picked from bramble bushes. A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart....

May my spoken words and unspoken thoughts be pleasing even to you, O Lord my Rock and my Redeemer. (Psalm 19:14) John Maxwell reminds us, "People may hear your words, but they feel your attitude." What does your attitude say today? Does it reveal your tiredness or frustration? Does it shine forth with encouragement and hope? We actually 'choose' our attitude, but we would like to blame our attitude on others or circumstances. If it is bad, we blame it on the bad stuff happening in our lives. If it is jubilant, we attribute it to the good stuff going on around us. Spoken words reveal much, but our unspoken thoughts often come across in our attitude. Don't believe me? When was the last time you looked at your posture when you are in the depths of thought about something that is giving you a bit of trouble? How is your posture when you are well-rested versus weary from a lack of the proper rest? Your posture might just reveal a bit of that 'inner thought' att...

  Congenial conversation—what a pleasure! The right word at the right time—beautiful! (Proverbs 15:23) Agreeable conversation is usually quite enjoyable, is it not? Start to get a little 'testy' in conversation and the sparks can fly, or the doors slam shut quickly in that relationship. Why? People don't really like conflict all that much - congenial words go a lot further than unkind ones. Truthful words can hurt from time to time, though. There is a time and a place for those 'right words' at the 'right time' - when that time and place presents itself, the outcome is awesome.  What makes for 'congenial' conversation? The 'spirit' of the words is correct - in other words, the feeling and 'temper' of the words is kind, thoughtful, and truthful. What makes for 'argument inducing' words? The 'spirit' of the words is harsh - hateful, distasteful, unkind, or cold words that actually have a purpose of hurting another. Some ...

 Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord. (Leviticus 19:18) We have a lot of things in this life that we 'seek', but not all of them are to be 'attained' - especially when the thing we seek is revenge. God wants us to know there is but one who 'metes out' justice. The issue with 'revenge' when we seek it or take it - we aren't 'portioning out' justice - we are concerned with ensuring the individual we have issue with receives a portion of not so great stuff! Bearing a grudge is a very easy thing and it is a more common occurrence with our peers than we may realize. Why? We haven't learned to let go when we feel we have been 'wronged' by another. It could be we 'feel' we are 'deserved' a different outcome, but if we hold onto what we 'feel' at that moment, we open the doorway to bitterness developing a stronghold. This is why Go...

Kindness in words creates confidence.  Kindness in thinking creates profoundness.  Kindness in giving creates love.  (Lao Tzu) I will be a little bit transparent here because I think being honest helps us all grow. There are times when the words I want to speak are not the right or best ones to speak. The words that are about to come out of my mouth are just not all that uplifting and they likely will do nothing 'good' if spoken. Been there? There are times the actions I want to take are less than kind. In fact, they border on being rude, ridiculous, or obnoxious. Been at that point? There are moments when I just don't want to give anything else because I feel like I have given enough or have nothing more to give. I bet if you haven't experienced either one of the form ones, you may have experienced that one. We all get to a place at times when 'kindness' is just the foremost thought, action, or attitude that we display. No matter how 'good' we are - we ...

The best portion of a good man's life is his little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and of love.(William Wordsworth) Take a moment today to just think of one kind act you can do for someone in your life. Who knows, it may even be someone you don't know, like the person with a flat tire stranded on the side of the road. Don't just do that kind deed because you may get something back in return - that doesn't make it a kind deed - it makes it a selfish one. The moment you do that kind deed, take notice of how it makes you feel. There is something like a feeling that the love of God in your life just multiplied. You know what - it isn't that his love multiplied in your life - it is that your sense of his presence did. You put yourself aside for a moment and allowed him to shine.  Last of all, you must share the same thoughts and the same feelings. Love each other with a kind heart and with a mind that has no pride. (I Peter 3:8) There is a definite difference b...

Are there times when you feel like someone has you right where they want you? You are probably not being paranoid! In fact, scripture declares God has us right where he wants us - in the place where he is free to shower grace and kindness upon our lives. If you stop to consider the potential in those words you might just stand in awe and wonder how a great big God could care enough about one small human in the scheme of millions upon millions upon millions of humans. You might not fully comprehend the depth of his love, or how far it will go to see a life touched just as it needs to be touched, but that doesn't keep him from showering grace and kindness in immeasurable amounts day after day in your life! Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It’s God’s gift from start to finish! We don’t play the m...

We probably all know how easy it is to be nice to nice people, but tell us to be nice to someone who isn't being nice back and we just wanna throttle both of you! The idea of being nice to someone who isn't being nice is like fingernails on a chalkboard - it gets our dander up and we just wanna scream! The idea of loving our neighbor isn't all that hard - but ask us to spend the 'energies' of prayer on our enemy and we might just think that is the biggest waste of our time. After all, can a leopard change his stripes? Our enemy will always be our enemy - right? They will always act as foolishly as they have been - right? Things aren't going to change - or are they? Maybe the change might not happen with them, but with us! “You’re familiar with the old written law, ‘Love your friend,’ and its unwritten companion, ‘Hate your enemy.’ I’m challenging that. I’m telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives...

A conversation I have had with God: Now I have you where I want you - but where exactly might that be? Under my thumb, so I can squash every idea you have? No. Under my feet, so I can walk all over you? No. Under my interrogating eye, so I can critically scrutinize your every move? No. So, where is it you have me, God? Right here - next to my heart - so you can understand my hopes for you, feel my heartbeat in unison with yours, and draw from my grace whenever you need it. Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It’s God’s gift from start to finish!  (Ephesians 2:8 MSG) I don't mean to criticize anyone here, but I think we might just have a wrong view of where we 'stand' with God on occasion. There are times we think we are under his thumb - just being held back from every good thing we wan...

If you have ever had that individual in your life who just sets you on edge the moment they open their mouth to speak, you know how hard it can be to spend time with them, or even to want to engage in conversation with them. What frustrates you the most is the seeming inability of the individual to take the hint and just change what it is which bothers you the most.  Most of the time people aren't too good at taking hints - they need a direct, honest, and "tempered" response to whatever it is they are doing or saying which gives you such an issue in the first place.  We all think someone will get our hints, then wonder why they continue to act as they do - setting you into a bundle of pent up frustration and emerging hostility toward them.  Well, it may not be them who needs to change as much as it may need to be you! A gentle answer makes anger disappear, but a rough answer makes it grow. (Proverbs 15:1 ERV) I haven't mastered this by any means, but I hav...

Do you ever come across those sayings in the Bible that you just cannot figure out?  In one sense, you look at what is said, thinking it might mean one thing, but in the time it was written it meant something entirely different. We aren't sheep herders by trade in the Middle East living about 2,000-3,000 years ago, so some of the practices and things said about shepherds just don't make a whole lot of sense.  We think the term, "...the sheep know his voice..." is referring to some form of obedience on the part of Christ's followers.  In one sense, it could imply this, but in reality, the shepherd would take the newborn lamb, sling it across his shoulders, carrying it there for a period of time until it got used to his voice.  Then he'd set it down to walk with the rest of the sheep.  In those days, they didn't herd sheep with horses and lots of sheep dogs.  They simply called for the sheep, and because they knew the shepherds tone of voice, they followed....