The Plumbline

Viktor Frankl said, "When we are no longer able to change a situation - we are challenged to change ourselves." Have you ever thought that the more we want life to change around us, it could just be that it needs to change within us first? That thought may frighten some because they think they are on the right path already. We may very well be, but the choice to be on that path is one thing - the choice to do all God asks us to do may not always be what we choose.  When people do not accept divine guidance, they run wild. But whoever obeys the law is joyful. (Proverbs 29:18 NLT) We all have probably been in the situation of knowing something we were about to do isn't all that great of a choice, but we make it anyway. Why do we do that? Is it because we believe we know better than God? Is it that we just wanted the satisfaction of doing whatever it is we did? Regardless of the reason, we didn't act or do as we were instructed by God. Even when we don't hear his c...

For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me." (Jeremiah 29:11-13 NLT) This may be one of a group of frequently quoted scripture verses, but if we look closely at what God says here, it will be more than just a great 'logo' for a coffee cup! He knows the plans HE has for us. Will they always match up to OUR plans. Nope. Will his timing for those plans be OUR timing? Nope. Will we wish we knew more of the plan before we start doing whatever it is he asks? Yup. They are HIS plans for US. Plain and simple, we cannot outwit his plans, nor can we succeed when we challenge them by taking our own plans more seriously than his. They are plans for good and not disaster. We need to grasp fully what he is telling us right there. He doesn't plan calamity, although it comes into our lives without us ...

Confucius said: "By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest."  Reflection is really a combination of what we are learning right now based upon our consideration of past experiences. We are going through something right now, but the events and outcomes of the past play a big part in how we 'interpret' the present situation. We spend time thinking about what we have already learned (past events) and what it is God is trying to teach us right now, don't we? Psalm 119:15 reminds us to study God's commandments and reflect on his ways. Psalm 119:55 tells us the result of that reflection: "I reflect at night on who you are, O Lord; therefore, I obey your instructions." Obedience is to be the outcome of reflection! In observing God's actions throughout scripture, we come to a place of learning when he will act, how it is he will do s...

The Lord directs our steps, so why try to understand everything along the way? (Proverbs 20:24 NLT) Do you have to understand everything before you ever undertake the first steps into something new? Too many times, we limit God by having to understand all that he is doing or all that is happening in the moment. He wants us to follow the path he marks out, trusting him as we take each step, knowing he has prepared those steps/events well in advance of us taking that first step. The more we question, the more we reveal our lack of trust in God. We must trust his guidance and lean into his goodness. He won't ask more of us than he will equip us to do, nor will he ask us to do things that are harmful. He watches over our steps, one by one, until the mission he asks of us is complete. Needing to understand every little thing he is doing isn't realistic. Some of what he does now is for our future - the steps we have yet to take down the road. Without those first steps, there would...

Galileo told us to measure what is measurable. Then we were to make measurable everything else that wasn't measurable to begin with. If we were to measure our 'spiritual progress' as it related to our goals for this year, how well are we doing? The Old Testament prophet Amos told us, "Do what is good and run from evil so that you may live! Then the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies will be your helper, just as you have claimed. Hate evil and love what is good; turn your courts into true halls of justice. Perhaps even yet the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies will have mercy on the remnant of his people." (Amos 5:14-15 NLT) How well are you doing with 'running from evil' these days? In other words, how well are you at turning your back to temptation, speaking up against evil around you, and intervening when God tells you it is time for you to take action? These are indeed things we can 'measure', and they are also things we can make 'measurable' that m...

You will always harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. (Galatians 6:7-9 NLT) When God uses an 'absolute' in his Word, I try to pay attention closely to what he is saying. It is as though he is adding exclamation marks and asking for us to focus on what he is saying. The absolute? ALWAYS. You will ALWAYS harvest what you plant. To that end, I think he is saying we are to do good, not some of the time, or when the urge hits you a certain way, but all the time, even when it doesn't feel good or easy. ALWAYS. Our own desires and that pesky sinful nature will attempt to convince us to do otherwise, but when we commit to the ALWAYS of God's commands, we will reap a great ha...

Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. (Matthew 7:7-8) Keep on - this certainly implies that we ask at least once, doesn't it? What we ask for is probably as important as how many times we are willing to ask for it, isn't it? James put it this way: "...you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it. And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure." (James 4:3) We might just be asking for what we don't really need, but it seems we keep on asking, don't we? When it is something we really, really need, like to turn away from bitterness or regret, we sometimes ask once, figure it didn't work, and keep on acting the same.  Ask God - then be prepared for the answe...

When we were controlled by our old nature, sinful desires were at work within us, and the law aroused these evil desires that produced a harvest of sinful deeds, resulting in death. But now we have been released from the law, for we died to it and are no longer captive to its power. Now we can serve God, not in the old way of obeying the letter of the law, but in the new way of living in the Spirit. (Romans 7:5-6) When we were controlled by our old nature... We cannot deny the fact that the 'old man' needed a change that wasn't forthcoming until Christ took over our lives. ...sinful desires were at work within us... While we might have done some 'good things' while the old man was in control, we also made a habit of being just a little too self-focused, selfish on more than one occasion, and likely just a bit too prideful about doing 'good things'. We might even have bragged or called attention to ourselves for being 'good' people. ...and the Law aro...

Now the gates of Jericho were tightly shut because the people were afraid of the Israelites. No one was allowed to go out or in. But the Lord said to Joshua, “I have given you Jericho, its king, and all its strong warriors. You and your fighting men should march around the town once a day for six days. Seven priests will walk ahead of the Ark, each carrying a ram’s horn. On the seventh day you are to march around the town seven times, with the priests blowing the horns. When you hear the priests give one long blast on the rams’ horns, have all the people shout as loud as they can. Then the walls of the town will collapse, and the people can charge straight into the town.” (Joshua 6:1-5) It is time we come to realize the more we look for God to work in conventional ways in our lives, the more he will surprise us by using unconventional means to accomplish his plans and purposes. The walls may be tightly shut, but you can rest assured that God is no match for those walls. The enemy may ...

I will hurry, without delay, to obey your commands. (Psalm 119:60) To make haste to keep God's commands requires some challenges at times, doesn't it? We find ourselves waffling just a bit on occasion, all because the moment presents so many options that appeal to our senses or emotions. Some call this 'temptation' - it could very well be, but there will always be opportunities to compromise, even just a little bit, that aren't always 'temptations'. They are just choices to move in the right direction, but just a wee bit off the mark God intended for us. Compromise isn't always 'huge'. Most of the time, it is the simplest choices where we compromise just 'a wee bit'. It isn't like we eat the whole box of chocolates!  It might take us a while to develop the type of obedience that 'makes haste', without delay, to obey God's commands. It isn't that we don't want to be obedient - it is that we are still just a little b...

Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us. (Romans 12:3) How many times do we evaluate ourselves against other people? It may come as no surprise to you that psychologists have actually studied how people either "Compare Upward" or "Compare Downward" when evaluating their own behaviors. When we go the upward direction, we perceive someone to actually be better than us at something, so we judge ourselves against their behavior or actions. When we choose the downward comparison, we perceive ourselves as better, so we are judging them against our behavior. Unfortunately, God says that either way is wrong!  When we use others as our comparison, we find we either justify our behavior as 'okay' or we think we are so much worse than we should be. The first actually boosts what some refer to as 'self-esteem', while the latter merely pushes us further into a h...

The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings.  (Eric Hoffer) Lord, you are mine! I promise to obey your words! With all my heart I want your blessings. Be merciful as you promised. I pondered the direction of my life, and I turned to follow your laws. (Psalm 119:57-59) Perhaps one of the most difficult lessons to learn is that we don't 'earn' God's blessings. The more we spend time with Jesus, the more we will realize his blessings are vast and unlimited. The blessings of God are not linked to what we 'do' in this relationship, but their very presence within our lives might just prompt us toward obedience more and more each day. We aren't 'obedient' to obtain the blessings - the obedience actually flows from our lives because we realize how great grace is! Ponder the direction of your life every so often - it isn't always going the right direction. We need to take time to allow God to point out to us where ...

For we don’t live for ourselves or die for ourselves. If we live, it’s to honor the Lord. And if we die, it’s to honor the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. (Romans 14:7-8) Too many people think they live to do what they want, when they want, with whatever they want, all the while neglecting to see how their actions will affect others. God's words to us are to be continually aware of how our behavior affects those around us - they might not understand our 'liberty' in Christ, or they might fall into some temptation because of some weakness in their own character that is 'spurred on' by our behavior. Either way, we owe it to each other to be aware of how our actions will always affect others. Paul was speaking to the church at Rome in this passage, but these words come after a long discussion as to what foods were 'okay' to eat, which 'holy day' was the 'right one', and similar types of issues. You see, the early church ...

Throughout history, it has been the inaction of those who could have acted; the indifference of those who should have known better; the silence of the voice of justice when it mattered most; that has made it possible for evil to triumph. (Haile Selassie)  Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good. (Romans 12:21) I cannot say for sure, but there are times when I believe we ALL let evil get the upper hand in our lives, wishing for the best outcome possible, but then allowing our thoughts to turn where they shouldn't, our eyes taking in what they probably didn't want to really see. The moment we give any inroad to evil in our lives, the influence of that moment can create a 'highway' for evil influence to continue to travel until we allow God to shut it down once and for all. We may not see the harm in not shutting it down with immediacy ourselves, but God knows the harm that will come when even the slightest path is allowed to remain. To put this plainly,...

Better remain silent, better not even think, if you are not prepared to act. (Annie Besant) “What is more pleasing to the Lord: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams. Rebellion is as sinful as witchcraft, and stubbornness as bad as worshiping idols." (I Samuel 15:22-23) We can remain silent, refusing to take action when we know it is necessary, but what does that gain us? If you haven't figured that one out yet, let me just let you in on a little secret - it will get you another 'go round' in the same muddy mire until you do act! Inaction may not be out and out rebellion, but it certainly isn't obedience, is it? If we want to live lives that please God, we will act when he asks us to act, if not with immediacy, at least in rather short order. Sometimes inaction is just outright rebellion, though. We know how to act, see the need to act, a...

I don't know about you, but I have realized that we aren't always going to walk the right path, no matter how 'determined' we are. There will always be alternatives, and we will not always select the right one. The issue isn't that we will veer off-course from time to time, it is that we should never make those 'veers' a permanent life choice. We need to learn to recognize them quickly, come before God in humility, acknowledge our need to get back on-course, and then let him help us take the right steps forward. Godliness guards the path of the blameless, but the evil are misled by sin. (Proverbs 13:6) A guarded path is much harder to veer off of than an unguarded one. We may try, but there is always protection to get us back on course or keep us there in the first place. It has good defenses to ensure there is nothing that can act as a destructive force on that path. The evil heart actually chooses a non-guarded path because it is more 'appealing...

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...