The Plumbline

If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a fellow believer, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see? And he has given us this command: Those who love God must also love their fellow believers. (I John 4:20-21 NLT) Do we love our fellow believers? There are always going to be individuals in our path that just don't exude all those 'lovable' qualities we'd like to see someone have, aren't there? We might think we are doing a pretty good job at 'loving' others until we actually hear that voice in our heads that begins to complain about that one who just doesn't make it easy to love them. As soon as we hear them, see them, or hear what they are up to right now, we begin to hear that internal conversation we have about how 'odd' they are, or how 'un' this or that. In truth, we are having a hard time looking past their idiosyncrasies, aren't we? Does God see those idiosyncrasie...

Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. (Ephesians 5:1-2 NLT) If you want to imitate someone, you must first come to really know the one you want to imitate, don't you? You could see someone walking with a slight limp on their right side and quickly imitate the limp, but to understand the injury that resulted in the limp you'd have to really know that individual. In order to imitate Christ in all things, we must come to know him intimately - not just on a superficial or casual level. A child will begin to imitate some of the things the parent does very early in their development. If they see the parent sitting a particular way, they may cross their legs like the parent has theirs crossed. They observe and then they incorporate what they observe into their lives. If we want to incorporate what Christ does into our lives, we must do more than just observe him, though. We need ...

Since the day we heard these things about you, we have continued praying for you. This is what we pray: that God will make you completely sure of what he wants by giving you all the wisdom and spiritual understanding you need; that this will help you live in a way that brings honor to the Lord and pleases him in every way; that your life will produce good works of every kind and that you will grow in your knowledge of God; that God will strengthen you with his own great power, so that you will be patient and not give up when troubles come. (Colossians 1:9-11) It is good to hear that someone is praying for us, isn't it? If we are struggling with even the simplest of things, we want that support behind us. We also want someone to be lifting us before the throne of God when it comes to our spiritual growth. We want to know that no matter how much the trials and temptations come against us, we have an advocate lifting us up over and over again, don't we? God listens for those pray...

Partiality is not going to serve anyone well. In the time of Christ, there were "systems" of people - some might call them "castes" - some more affluent and "honored" than others, while others were looked down on because of disease, poverty, mental state, or even what they did for a living. The idea of God allowing the sun to shine on the rich and the poor, the diseased and the well, the farmer and the tax collector, is Jesus' way of reminding us that no one sticks out as the "shining star" in God's eyes. All are equal - all receive the same attention, privilege, and honor in his eyes.  You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies. Pray for those who treat you badly. If you do this, you will be children who are truly like your Father in heaven. He lets the sun rise for all people, whether they are good or bad. He sends rain to those who do right and to those who do wrong. If ...

  A mean person gets paid back in meanness,   a gracious person in grace. (Proverbs 14:14) What does your 'paycheck' look like today? Are you seeing lots and lots of zeros behind that 'grace' number, or more of them behind that 'meanness' number? Mean people aren't exactly the kind of people we want to hang around with on a regular basis, are they? In fact, we most likely want to 'put their lights out' on occasion, wishing they'd just back off and find somewhere else to do their dirty work. We don't always respond in grace toward the meanie, do we? In fact, we might just find ourselves wanting to be a little 'mean' in response! Why do mean people evoke a defensive response from us rather than a gracious response? It could just be that we see a bit of that same 'meanness' within ourselves! We might not always realize that mean streak exists within us, but when it is revealed, it is time to let God deal with it so that a graciou...

Make fun of wisdom, and you will never find it. But if you have understanding, knowledge comes easily. Stay away from fools, or you won’t learn a thing. Wise people have enough sense to find their way, but stupid fools get lost. Fools don’t care if they are wrong, but God is pleased when people do right. (Proverbs 14:5-9) If we go through life making light of everything we encounter - as though life had to be filled with jokes and humor all the time - we'll miss out on so much of what may have come if we avoided the sarcasm. Sarcasm actually "demotes" or causes something to have a lesser "degree" of importance. We often use sarcasm or joking to cover over the depth of your anxiety, guilt, or regrets. Wisdom calls for us to be men and women of integrity - having fun with life - but not making light of what life entails. Understanding is closely related to one's perspective at the moment. If one's perspective is different from another's, as in the c...

The most satisfying thing in life is to have been able to give a large part of one's self to others. (Pierre Teilhard de Chardin) ...be an example to the believers with your words, your actions, your love, your faith, and your pure life ...continue to read the Scriptures to the people, strengthen them, and teach them. Use the gift you have... Continue to do those things; give your life to doing them so your progress may be seen by everyone. Be careful in your life and in your teaching. If you continue to live and teach rightly, you will save both yourself and those who listen to you. (I Timothy 4:12-16) We are not put on this earth to live as we might please, but to live as it pleases God. In living in such a manner, we will find that we will be drawn to the needs of others, finding ways to minister to that need as we are able. Why? We are following the example given by Jesus and being living instruments of grace. We are to use the gifts we have been given - not for our own edific...

Since we came into this world, we have had not had to tell ourselves to demand or seek out the things we want, but rather we have had to learn how to deal with all the things we want to figure out if we really need it. We might have come face-to-face with the reality that food was a necessity, but the black patent leather shoes weren't; the school clothes were, but the frilly dresses and designer jeans weren't; the reliable means of transportation was a necessity, but the shiny new car every other year was not.  We will often struggle with trying to decipher the difference between need and want throughout life - simply because the circumstances change and we are called upon to change with them.  In time, we can become a little confused between the two, especially when we aren't aware of this nasty little thing called "greed".  It rears its ugly head more often than we'd like to admit and we struggle with this thing called "contentment" more often tha...

Never forget the three powerful resources you always have available to you: love, prayer, and forgiveness. (H. Jackson Brown, Jr.) “I’ve told you these things for a purpose: that my joy might be your joy, and your joy wholly mature. This is my command: Love one another the way I loved you. This is the very best way to love. Put your life on the line for your friends." (John15:13-14) The very best way to love - love like Christ loves you! Indeed, three powerful resources are available to all who are redeemed by the blood of Christ: Love, Prayer, and Forgiveness. Without prayer, we find it hard to love the unlovely. Without forgiveness, we find it hard to love anyone! What does a life on the line look like? If we were to consider the examples throughout scripture, we could find a few that stand out. We can take a lesson from each of them. David may not have been the tallest kid in the lot of his brothers, nor was he likely the strongest, most talented, or even the most appreciated. ...

What’s important in all this is that if you keep a holy day, keep it for God’s sake; if you eat meat, eat it to the glory of God and thank God for prime rib; if you’re a vegetarian, eat vegetables to the glory of God and thank God for broccoli. None of us are permitted to insist on our own way in these matters. It’s God we are answerable to—all the way from life to death and everything in between—not each other. That’s why Jesus lived and died and then lived again: so that he could be our Master across the entire range of life and death, and free us from the petty tyrannies of each other. (Romans 14:8) Okay, so I know the original translation of this passage doesn't tell us to eat prime rib and broccoli, but it is there to make a point. We are to stand by our commitments - our beliefs, values, and even our dogma - but we are not to look down on others because of theirs. If their dogma, beliefs, or values are not according to scripture - we are to hold them up in prayer, not argue ...

  “Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples—when they see the love you have for each other.” (John 13:34-35) I was always taught to pay attention to things that are repeated in scripture because they are important. If we just pass over something because it seems 'rote' or like we have heard it a million times, we may miss one of the most vital lessons we need to learn in our lives. I can drive by the 'speed checked by radar' time and time again, all the while ignoring it until one day I see those bright red and blue lights flashing for me to pull over to the side of the road. The sign was always there, but I didn't heed it and therefore, the consequences are deserved. If we heed the warnings in scripture, we do well. If we obey the commands in scripture, we do even better. Love one another - seems easy, doesn't it? Ever try doing it? You know ...