The Plumbline

We swallow greedily any lie that flatters us, but we sip only little by little at a truth we find bitter.  (Denis Diderot) They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen. (Romans 1:25) Have you ever been guilty of 'trading truth for a lie'? I think we have all done that a time or two. We aren't all that 'flattered' by truth at times, are we? If I ask you how I look in a particular outfit and you tell me the truth that it does nothing to improve my appearance, will I be flattered by your comment? Not usually, but if the truth keeps me from looking frumpy, cheesy, or a little under/overdressed for the occasion, I will appreciate that you were honest with me. I might have to change a few times to get it right, but your honesty 'improved' me in some way. In much the same way, God's truth may not always 'flatter' our ego, but it certai...

Wise sayings often fall on barren ground, but a kind word is never thrown away. (Arthur Helps) Fools’ words get them into constant quarrels; they are asking for a beating. The mouths of fools are their ruin; they trap themselves with their lips. Rumors are dainty morsels that sink deep into one’s heart. (Proverbs 18:6-8) A fool's words often create the ripe environment for gossip and untruths. The fool focuses on the volume of his words, not the wisdom of them. He rushes toward the 'juicy tidbits' he can glean from anyone that he may use to make himself look important. Unfortunately, the fool doesn't 'fact check' his words before repeating them. He launches into the retelling and the 'reinventing' of those words all too quickly. I am a strong proponent of 'fact checking' whatever is being put forward as truth. This culture is too quick to spread malicious gossip, things that aren't entirely true, but that put someone in a bad light as much a...

When the wicked man comes [to the depth of evil], contempt [of all that is pure and good] also comes, and with inner baseness (dishonor) comes outer shame (scorn). (Proverbs 18:3 Amplified Bible) Doing wrong always used to lead to some form of disgrace in society, did it not? What we might have labeled as 'wrong' fifty years ago may actually be labeled as 'okay' or 'right' today, though. Our societal norms change over time - one generation's indulgences or sins giving way to the next generation's. The fact remains - there is only ONE definition of right or wrong - the Bible! Try as we might to change the truths contained within those pages, they are unchangeable. When the wicked brings what scripture defines as 'evil' or 'vile' into practice, there is no 'mislabeling' of it as anything other than sin.  "Doing wrong leads to disgrace, and scandalous behavior brings contempt." (NLT) This same verse becomes quite easy to un...

Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ. For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body. So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority. (Colossians 2:8-10) Whether we know it or not, there is a bunch of 'empty babble' being thrown around each and every day - even in the church. Empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense are everywhere. We have to apply 'filters' in order to weed through what is being portrayed as truth and 'worthwhile' reports in order to really find God's truth in the matter, don't we? Without those 'filters' given to us in the Word of God and by the power of the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, we'd get duped into believing everything we heard. The Bereans were a group of Jews who listened to the message Paul bro...

 Psalm 12:6-8 reminds us, "The Lord’s promises are pure, like silver refined in a furnace, purified seven times over. Therefore, Lord, we know you will protect the oppressed, preserving them forever from this lying generation, even though the wicked strut about, and evil is praised throughout the land." The promises of God hold certain even when the wicked rise up and the lies of corruption abound. God's kids have nothing to fear. They have an ability to see the lies and to avoid their pull. It comes through the presence of God with them and the protection he brings. What do lies do? They bring oppression, don't they? Almost without noticing, there is a load of weight being put upon the shoulders of those who buy into those lies. They lay a weight of heaviness intended to drag down their 'devotees'. The wicked are indeed spouting those untruths in order to confuse, dupe, and lead astray. God's protection keeps us from living under the load of that weigh...

Have you ever been told something, only to find out it wasn't true at all? I think we have all bought one of those 'miracle', 'wonder', 'amazing', or 'as seen on...' products at some time in our lives. I remember mom getting all this stuff from one of the 'clearing houses' that really wasn't all that good, but if she bought it, she felt it increased her chances of becoming a millionaire. We all 'buy into' an outright untruth at one time or another, don't we? The bigger the lie, the harder it is to 'sell', but so many seem to 'buy into' various lies of the enemy of their souls without giving it a second thought. The biggest lie we can buy into is that God has turned his back on a lost and hurting world. God never turns his back, always has a way of escape for those who will look toward him and will always be the ultimate authority no matter what other authority attempts to set themselves up above him. For the w...

Help, Lord! For God-like men are here no more. The faithful can no longer be seen among the sons of men. They lie to each other. Their lips speak with sweet-sounding words that are not true. May the Lord cut off all lips of false respect, and the tongue that speaks of great things. They say, “We can win with our tongues. Our lips are our own. Who is lord over us?” (Psalm 2:1-4) When I read this passage this morning, it gave me a moment of pause as it seemed so appropriate for the present 'election season' we are in. It seems like there is lots of 'lip speaking' and 'sweet-sounding words', but how much of what is said will actually prove to be true? There is either 'truth', 'lies', or 'something in between' in these election speeches, right? Never forget that lies are often masked with just enough truth to make them believable! It is time to test character - what has the person shown as his or her values - not in word, but in deed? What ac...

4-5  He turned to Jehoshaphat and said, "Will you join me in fighting for Ramoth Gilead?"  Jehoshaphat said, "You bet. I'm with you all the way—my troops are your troops, my horses are your horses." He then continued, "But before you do anything, ask  God  for guidance."   6  The king of Israel got the prophets together—all four hundred of them —and put the question to them: "Should I attack Ramoth Gilead? Or should I hold back?"  "Go for it," they said. " God  will hand it over to the king." (I Kings 22:4-6) This is just a short passage from the twenty-second chapter of I Kings.  It is just enough to set up the story before us this morning.  In encourage you to read the chapter in its entirety.  King Ahab is in control of Israel and Jehoshaphat is reigning over Judah.  Jehoshaphat was allied with Ahab through marriage (arranging for his son to marry Ahab's daughter) and was the fourth king of Judah (the southern king...