The Plumbline

Growth is a process that cannot be rushed, nor can it be neglected. We manage to do both, don't we? We want growth to be instant. We overlook the 'maintenance' of that growth, wondering why things seem to be 'going south' as it applies to our spiritual health. Seed might sprout where it is planted, but make no mistake about it, growth requires attentiveness. The Kingdom of God is like a farmer who scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, while he’s asleep or awake, the seed sprouts and grows, but he does not understand how it happens. (Mark 4:26-27) God is at work even when we don't see him working. We might not comprehend what he is doing, nor are we always 'attentive' to his work within, but when God plants a seed, he sends the Holy Spirit to tend its growth. We don't have to understand the growth process as much as we need to participate in it as it is occurring. Seed gets sown, but growth comes in its own time. We cannot rush it, although we c...

“The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed planted in a field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but it becomes the largest of garden plants; it grows into a tree, and birds come and make nests in its branches.” (Matthew 13:31-32) If you have ever considered the size of a mustard seed, you will likely have noted it is only 1-2 millimeters in diameter. While it is a small seed, the 'tree' produced (or actually a type of shrub) is about 20 feet across and just about as tall! From such a small seed come what some may say is 'remarkable growth'. The leaves start out as very green, then 'morph' into a yellow tone as they age. The ability to not only see physical growth in the height and width of the tree, but to also observe the 'maturity' of the tree by the color of its leaves is kind of neat. One suggests a good connection, while the other suggests a continued connection that allows growth to develop into maturity - something Christ wants for each of us! ...

It’s news I’m most proud to proclaim, this extraordinary Message of God’s powerful plan to rescue everyone who trusts him, starting with Jews and then right on to everyone else! God’s way of putting people right shows up in the acts of faith, confirming what Scripture has said all along: “The person in right standing before God by trusting him really lives.” (Romans1:16) Right with God means we can stand before God without fear of judgment. How is this possible? We place our trust in the finished work of Christ at the cross. We learn to live a new life at the foot of the cross - beginning the moment we say 'yes' to Jesus and then continuing on as the Holy Spirit begins to take the Word of God and apply it various areas of our lives where we most need it. Trust is the basis of faith - faith is required in order to stand strong. As we discussed in an earlier post, faith isn't just 'given' - it is grown within us. The seed of faith is placed there by God himself, then ...

As kids, we'd ask each other, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" Today, some of us are still asking ourselves the same question!  We just haven't "grown up" yet and therefore, when we DO grow up, we will be something other than what we are today - that is the point of growing up - right?  All growth has an end point in life, though.  At some point, we move from "growing" to "rotting".  My tomatoes are at about the end of their season, beginning to yellow under the hot Arizona sun and their fruit is just splitting from the heat. It is about time to uproot them, turn them over into the soil and wait for the "volunteer" tomatoes at the end of the hot summer.  Some of us are waiting to see what "volunteers" to grow inside of us when we just need to take some steps to actually see some growth! Our goal is to become like a full-grown man—to look just like Christ and have all his perfection. Then we will no long...

Harvest:  A supply of anything gathered at maturity and stored; the result or consequences of any act, process, or event. I wonder if we have given much thought to the various "harvests" we have in our lives.  In most cases, we are not farmers - so this idea of "harvesting" is not fully understood.  The great work of producing the end result of a tremendous "intake" of grain is almost missed by us because we simply go to the local grocer and purchase the bagged flour, loaf of bread, or cake mix right off the shelf.  If there was a greater appreciation for the "work" which makes the harvest possible, I wonder if we'd have any greater appreciation for the "filled shelves" at the grocer?  Our definition above is really interesting, simply because it doesn't start with the definition of a farmer's work, but of the general work of seeing something to the point of maturity - then storing up the thing which has been brought to th...

I know I am not supposed to take scripture out of context, but something struck me this morning and I zeroed in on it because of what it implies for ALL our thought, actions, and intent, not just for the subject of speaking in tongues.  Paul was speaking to the Corinthian church about "honoring" others in their worship - coming prepared to worship, teach, etc., and being cognizant of the fact others don't get much from speaking in tongues or making a show of your "spirituality".  Paul encourages believers to pray for others to come into the depth of relationship I often refer to as a place of "intimacy" with God.  This is the place of real transparency with him - the place of honesty and "integrity" in our sharing of heart, mind, and soul with him - not just for our sake, but for the sake of others.  Now, I came across this passage and was just impressed to read it over and over again until it sunk in a little.    To be perfectly frank, I’m...

Mature:  Fully developed in body or mind; complete; perfected; ready; prepared.  Now, how many of you will say you are mature?  In society today, we often think of maturity as reaching a certain age - the age of "legality".  In other words - it is a measure of chronological years, not so much a measure of anything on the inside of the person.  The problem with this way of thinking is that we often have a whole lot of "mature-looking" individuals walking this earth, but they really lack the evidence of maturity in the emotions, mind, or their spirit.  Chronologically, they are "of age" - spiritually, emotionally, or intellectually, they are still immature. Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers.   Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.   This will continue until we all come to such unity in our...

I love to read - my favorite venue being mystery.  I like the suspense of seeing the plot unfold until you discover the "who done it" at the end!  By definition, a mystery is anything (or anyone) which presents features or qualities so obscure as to arouse our curiosity.  The "fun" comes in unraveling the obscure features.  I think God likes mysteries, too! 5  Just as you'll never understand  the mystery of life forming in a pregnant woman, s o you'll never understand  the mystery at work in all that God does. (Ecclesiastes 11:5 The Message) God is at work all around us - in today's moments - unveiling little by little the elements of his "mystery" in us and through us.   Did you ever wonder why God sometimes takes a great deal of time unveiling his mystery in us?  For one thing, we probably could not handle the whole thing if it was revealed in one great "dump of data" into our finite brains!  More importantly, I think G...

48 "In a word, what I'm saying is, Grow up. You're kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you." (Matthew 5:48) 13 Do you want to be counted wise, to build a reputation for wisdom? Here's what you do: Live well, live wisely, live humbly. It's the way you live, not the way you talk, that counts. (James 3:13) I think it takes great courage to live out the Christian life.  When you really begin to examine what Jesus outlines in this Sermon on the Mount, he is focusing on his disciples living by a standard that is just a little higher than the rest of what other "religions" require.  For example, he says to live as "kingdom subjects" - living out our God-created identity.  Before we can do that, we have to discover what that identity entails.  We have spent a couple weeks now outlining the "criteria" of our identity in Christ.  So,...

5-9 So don't lose a minute in building on what you've been given, complementing your basic faith with good character, spiritual understanding, alert discipline, passionate patience, reverent wonder, warm friendliness, and generous love, each dimension fitting into and developing the others. With these qualities active and growing in your lives, no grass will grow under your feet, no day will pass without its reward as you mature in your experience of our Master Jesus. Without these qualities you can't see what's right before you, oblivious that your old sinful life has been wiped off the books. (2 Peter 1:5-9) Peter opens this second epistle to the church with a reminder that the salvation we have been given is all because of the "straight dealing" and intervention of our Savior, Jesus Christ.  Everything we need to get to know God better has already been given to us in the gift of salvation - we just need to apply it to our lives.  The very ability to get to...