The Plumbline

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...