The Plumbline

Do you remember the story of Jonah? He tried desperately to run from God's plan for his life. I wonder how many of us have tried that same action. If you are anything like me, you have probably done it once or twice. We don't always want to be 'disobedient', but when we delay in any form of 'obedience', we are actually running from God's expectations. So, if you are 'runner' too, let me assure you of this - you cannot escape God any more than I can! I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence! (Psalm 138:7) Jonah tried to run from God's plan for his life. He rejected God's plan more than once. He complained a whole lot when God asked him to do certain things that were 'contrary' to the way he thought things should be. He did what most of us have done - he put his own desires above those of God. Oh, don't be so pious - you have done it, too! To compound it, we pout because we aren't getting ...

So I decided there is nothing better than to enjoy food and drink and to find satisfaction in work. Then I realized that these pleasures are from the hand of God. For who can eat or enjoy anything apart from him? God gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy to those who please him. (Ecclesiastes 2:24-26) So, I decided...these three words can get us into so much trouble at times, can't they? When we lean into our own wisdom or selfish inner drive, we often 'decide' upon things that aren't all that great for us. We pursue things or 'objectives' that are bound to cause us difficulties, but we just don't know it yet. When we lean into God's wisdom, we find our 'deciding' takes us down a different path. We don't always know what it is we are 'deciding' to pursue when we set out on this course of obedience with God, but we can rest assured that the path isn't going to lead us into stuff that will bring us harm or destruction. The pleasures we...

When obedience ceases to be an irritant and becomes our quest, in that moment God will endow us with power. (Ezra Taft Benson) We cannot expect to ignore God's instruction forever and not see some form of chaos in our world. God gives grace, time to turn to him, but he won't be mocked. We cannot live like we want, then expect all of God's blessings to be in our lives. Theodore Roosevelt reminded us, "Obedience of the law is demanded; not asked as a favor."  Take hold of my instructions; don’t let them go. Guard them, for they are the key to life. (Proverbs 4:13) We lack so much power in our lives all because we seek to do things our own way. We find our greatest strength and power when we apply God's instructions to our lives. If we ignore those instructions for way too long, the path we have committed ourselves to will be filled with chaos, angst, and quite unfulfilling endeavors.  Take hold of his instructions - this doesn't imply that someone else i...

Ronald Reagan reminded us, "We are never defeated unless we give up on God." So many times, we announce that we are 'defeated' in one sense or another, not realizing that our real problem is that we 'gave up' on something God told us to hold onto. We actually give up on him because the road got a bit too bumpy, or the issues got a little tougher to handle than we wanted to deal with. The real issue is that we aren't the ones dealing with those issues - he is - we just couldn't wait to see how he'd handle them! Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. (Proverbs 3:5-6) Whenever we seek to understand things through what our own mind interprets, we are missing what only our spirit can understand. The ways of God are very often beyond what our mind can comprehend - we need the Spirit of God, working on our spirit, to help us understand fully what...

Success is the sum of small efforts - repeated day in and day out. (Robert Collier) Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you. Mark out a straight path for your feet; stay on the safe path. Don’t get sidetracked; keep your feet from following evil. (Proverbs 4:25-27) I don't know about you, but my greatest 'downfalls' in life come whenever I get my eyes off of the path Jesus has laid out for me to follow. A 'fixed focus' is not as easy as some may seem, is it? There are lots and lots of distractions that can take our eyes off of that path and get us all twitterpated in the process. Whenever we get 'sidetracked', our attention has been purposefully directed away from the subject we are supposed to focus upon and toward another. It isn't accidental, as some may imagine, because there is a 'force' behind that distraction that is designed to attract our attention! Purposeful 'redirection' of our path is one of Satan...

Then God said, “Let the land sprout with vegetation—every sort of seed-bearing plant, and trees that grow seed-bearing fruit. These seeds will then produce the kinds of plants and trees from which they came.” And that is what happened. The land produced vegetation—all sorts of seed-bearing plants, and trees with seed-bearing fruit. Their seeds produced plants and trees of the same kind. And God saw that it was good. (Genesis 1:11-12) Ever stop to think why God created seed-bearing plants and trees? Why a seed? Why not just have them grow some other way? It is a principle of 'creation' and one of 'reproduction'. The seed plant or tree was originally created, but the plan for reproduction was meant to show that the life 'created' was to be sustained and multiplied. It wasn't supposed to be a one-time deal - plant born, tree born, then they die off never to be seen again. There is a great deal of potential in the seed - growth from the seed represents the poss...

Bad things do happen; how I respond to them defines my character and the quality of my life. I can choose to sit in perpetual sadness, immobilized by the gravity of my loss, or I can choose to rise from the pain and treasure the most precious gift I have - life itself. (Walter Anderson) We continue to shout our praise even when we’re hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we’re never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary—we can’t round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit! (Romans 5:3-5) What comes our way in life is a combination of what is sought, provided, and allowed. We seek things such as a good car, bargains at the grocery store, or the most cost-effective way to get that vacation we desire. Other things are p...

Zig Zigler said, "If you aim at nothing, you'll hit it every time", and I cannot agree more. The 'aim' we take in life determines the course we will follow. If we aim to please people, we will find ourselves constantly changing what we do, how we do it, when it is done, and so on. If we aim to please ourselves all the time, we will find the more we try to please ourselves, the less likely we are to be pleased - we will always want more. The more we aim at pleasing God, the less we will seek the approval of others and the more we will seek his will to be done in our lives. How is it we 'seek God' above all other ambitions, desires, or impressions this world gives us? I think it begins when we determine we want his will over the will of others, and especially over our own will. Sinful behaviors manifest when we 'dabble' with sin's tug even a little bit. The more we resist the 'tiny tugs' of sin, the more we will resist the bigger ones tha...

Do everything readily and cheerfully—no bickering, no second-guessing allowed! Go out into the world uncorrupted, a breath of fresh air in this squalid and polluted society. Provide people with a glimpse of good living and of the living God. Carry the light-giving Message into the night so I’ll have good cause to be proud of you on the day that Christ returns. You’ll be living proof that I didn’t go to all this work for nothing. (Philippians 2:14-16) Do everything readily - just how well are we doing on that one today? I know that I drag my feet when it comes to things around the house that really could use my attention, like the high-low dusting. As long as the surfaces look reasonably 'clean', I can let it go until the dust bunnies start creeping out as you walk past their hiding places! My BFF quips that we are 'dust bunny friendly', but every now and again, we have to eliminate the 'herd' of bunnies, but somehow our inattentiveness to getting all of them al...

My counsel is this: Live freely, animated and motivated by God’s Spirit. Then you won’t feed the compulsions of selfishness. For there is a root of sinful self-interest in us that is at odds with a free spirit, just as the free spirit is incompatible with selfishness. These two ways of life are contrary to each other, so that you cannot live at times one way and at times another way according to how you feel on any given day. Why don’t you choose to be led by the Spirit and so escape the erratic compulsions of a law-dominated existence? (Galatians 5:16) Choose to be led - those four words are quite informative, aren't they? We 'choose' 'to be' 'led'. Choice is always part of our walk with Jesus. Some may look at Christians as a bunch of people who are given no choice other than to never smoke, never chew, and never run with those who do. I am certain there are a few other 'don't do this or that' items we could add to that list, but you get the ...

If the highest aim of a captain were to preserve his ship, he would keep it in port forever.  (Thomas Aquinas) So roll up your sleeves, get your head in the game, be totally ready to receive the gift that’s coming when Jesus arrives. Don’t lazily slip back into those old grooves of evil, doing just what you feel like doing. You didn’t know any better then; you do now. As obedient children, let yourselves be pulled into a way of life shaped by God’s life, a life energetic and blazing with holiness. God said, “I am holy; you be holy.” (I Peter 1:15-16) Seafaring men would tell you a storm is no time to launch out on a journey, but when a storm erupts right smack dab in the middle of the journey, you have no choice but to navigate through! The ship has left port and it there is no time to debate what to do next - the captain urges his crew onward. In just the same manner, Jesus urges us onward in spite of the storms, rough conditions, or 'unease' we may feel with the progress we a...

That is the way we should live, because God’s grace has come. That grace can save everyone. It teaches us not to live against God and not to do the bad things the world wants to do. It teaches us to live on earth now in a wise and right way—a way that shows true devotion to God. (Titus 2:11-12) As we continue our "January Journey", let's consider what it means to 'live against God'. The very thought of 'living against' anything might mean we become a little too 'assertive' or 'aggressive' in our approach to whatever that may be. It doesn't mean we don't stand up for what is right and stand against what is wrong, but we aren't going to explore that today. I would like us to consider truthfully if there is any area of our lives where we are 'asserting' our will against God's will for our lives. That might be a hard thing to admit right now, but I believe we will make no progress forward with our relationship in Christ...

If you find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn't lead anywhere. (Frank A. Clark)  The Lord is making roads through the sea. He is making a path for his people, even through rough waters. (Isaiah 43:16) The obstacles one faces in life can sometimes be a little overwhelming - even to the point we want to find another path or just plain give up entirely. The good news is that the path God prepares may not be obstacle free, but it is prepared, provisioned, and protected. Prepared by the hand of God. Provisioned with his grace and strength. Protected by his mighty armies in high places, even when we cannot see his protection! The path without obstacles is really not all that great! The obstacles are what brings out the character of God within our lives. Those obstacles actually show us how dependent we are upon ourselves to remove each and every one of them in our own power or strength. It is when we realize they are bigger or more numerous than we can 'deal with' on ou...

If you're walking down the right path and you're willing to keep walking, eventually you'll make progress. (Barack Obama) Whoever abandons the right path will be severely disciplined; whoever hates correction will die.  (Proverbs 15:10) The 'right path' is usually something each of us pursues these early weeks of a new year. It is like we got a 'clean slate' at midnight on the 31st of December and now we are free to 'do over' what we didn't do so well with over the past 365 days. While that is a little exaggerated, you get the point. We all need a 'do over' from time to time, don't we? If you are anything like me, those don't need to happen just in the first month of the new year - they need to happen ALL year! The right path is laid out, the plans are made, then somewhere down the line, there is a missed opportunity or missed step and we are 'off-course' for some strange reason. The 'strange reason' is likely t...

There are two freedoms - the false, where a man is free to do what he likes; the true, where he is free to do what he ought. (Charles Kingsley) When people do not accept divine guidance, they run wild. But whoever obeys the law is joyful.  (Proverbs 29:18) Two freedoms - one false, the other living and thriving. Which would you choose? So many people choose the false sense of freedom, believing that being able to do as one pleases, unfettered by any form of rule to live by is some sort of 'heaven on earth'. I would suggest to us that 'heaven on earth' is not as good as life gets, though. Earthly gladness or glee is just that - earthly, fleeting, and eventually will pass away. The freedom to do as we ought, as laid out for us in the set of 'rules' we call the living word of God, now that is true freedom. Some see 'rules' as fettering, but God sees them as protection for a soul that may not know how to choose wisely all the time! One of the biggest struggl...

 Character is the ability to carry out a good resolution long after the excitement of the moment has passed. (Cavett Robert) You have tested my thoughts and examined my heart in the night. You have scrutinized me and found nothing wrong. I am determined not to sin in what I say. I have followed your commands, which keep me from following cruel and evil people. (Psalm 17:3-4) Determination is good - without it, we might just wander this earth without a care in the world, but with very little to show for all the wandering in the end. Character is forged in the times we might not 'want' to do something, but 'choose' to do it anyway. Obedience is nine-tenths determination and one-tenth action. We must overcome the desire to just 'lollygag' through life and focus on what God desires for us. When our focus is determined, our actions are more likely to be less 'idle' or 'aimless'! We anticipate the new year with some hope things will be different as we ...

Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning. (Albert Einstein) History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new. Sometimes people say, “Here is something new!” But actually it is old; nothing is ever truly new. We don’t remember what happened in the past, and in future generations, no one will remember what we are doing now. (Ecclesiastes 1:9-11) History merely repeats itself. If we are honest here, the 'history' of our own lives is kind of repetitive - at least until we ask Jesus to help us stop repeating the same mistakes! Einstein was right - we never should stop questioning - in the questioning, we often discover something we have been believing or doing that really isn't all that good for us. When we question where we are with taking the steps God asks us to take, we are merely asking God if we are moving in the right direction. There is nothing wrong with a little...

Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. (Galatians 5:24-25) Hey, does your cross have a bunch of holes where the nails have been driven time and time again? I know I have a seen God drive a nail home when he convicts me of something he wants to change in my life, then after a while, there I am with the hammer trying to remove that nail! Nail and hammer in hand, I go about doing the very thing God asked me to allow him to nail to the cross! It is likely we all struggle with that from time to time, all because we want to control the course of our lives just a bit too much. The 'control thing' is really a combo of our pride and our lusts getting the best of us. We want what God says we should not have, then we struggle with the desire to possess it, before long giving into that desire instead o...

Have you been waiting for what seems like forever to see the fulfillment of a dream, answer to a prayer, or intervention of some kind in your life? I imagine all of us are in this position from time to time, finding it harder and harder to wait, even wanting to give up on whatever it is we hope for entirely. If you find yourself there today, you aren't alone 'waiting for your rescue'. The one thing we must do is put our hope in God's promises. What he says is true - trustworthy, firmly grounded, and never failing. In the 'wait', it may not seem that way, but God will never compromise his watchfulness or his careful attention toward us! I am worn out waiting for your rescue, but I have put my hope in your word. My eyes are straining to see your promises come true. When will you comfort me? I am shriveled like a wineskin in the smoke, but I have not forgotten to obey your decrees. (Psalm 119:81-83) Waiting makes us feel like withered up wineskins, doesn't ...

I have had those moments when I just wanted to say or doing something, but if I did, I knew the backlash would be more than I wanted to receive. It is a battle of the mind and will over emotions at times, isn't it? We 'think better' than our emotions tend to lead us on occasion - perhaps making 'emotions' one of the hardest and most fickle things we have to deal with once we get our mind under the tutelage of the Holy Spirit. Doing wrong is easy - doing right is a bit harder at times. Behavior matters, no matter what anyone says - behavior stems from all three - mind, will and emotions. Doing wrong leads to disgrace, and scandalous behavior brings contempt. (Proverbs 18:3) Back in the day, teachers used to give out little 'awards' to students with great academic achievements, including those who consistently exhibited good 'classroom behavior'. As you might have guessed, I might have received a few notes home to mom saying I was a bit of the clas...