The Plumbline

You need not be afraid of sudden disaster or the destruction that comes upon the wicked, for the Lord is your security. He will keep your foot from being caught in a trap. (Proverbs 3:25-26) As report after report shines light on some fraud, abuse, or disastrous plan that had been hatched, we might just find ourselves feeling a little overwhelmed by the fear that these reports have a way of creating within the hearts of millions these days. We might feel more than a little angst as to whether we will receive our regular income from our job or retirement funds. We could be wondering how we will be able to afford necessary healthcare if this plan or that one folds. We might even be feeling a little dread over what comes next on the agenda of whoever holds the power of the day. We must never lose sight of one thing - God is still in control, even when we don't see his hand, it is still directing the course of our lives. God's 'advice' to us is to stop being afraid. He wil...

Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? “And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith? “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. (Matthew 6:27-33) Changes come and changes go. We cannot control them, nor can we escape them. To worry over them is simply not productive. Jesus says this type of "worrying" or "creation of emotional chaos" in our lives because of the freque...

O God, listen to my cry! Hear my prayer! From the ends of the earth, I will cry to you for help, for my heart is overwhelmed. Lead me to the towering rock of safety, for you are my safe refuge, a fortress where my enemies cannot reach me. Let me live forever in your sanctuary, safe beneath the shelter of your wings! (Psalm 61:1-3) There will always be times when we feel a little overwhelmed. Following Jesus doesn’t ensure there will not be a deluge of problems on occasion that seem to almost close in on us. It could be argued that God expects us to call out when we begin to feel them closing in, but I’d like to propose that he wants our contact with him to be so deep and intimate that he can ‘hear our heart’ even before he hears our words. The heart can betray what we are feeling or sensing sometimes quicker than our words can express. I have felt overwhelming fear on occasion, unable to utter even one word, but then found God’s peace just settling in over me like a warm blanket on a...

We all live extremely busy lives, experiencing some level of a lack of "togetherness" in our days, but it is not to be the "norm" for us. In fact, God wants us to learn to rely upon him bringing things "together" FOR us rather than us having to do all the work ourselves. We "enter into" what God has for us - in turn, he enters into us and begins to set things in right order which are kind of helter-skelter within us. In the end, he begins to effect changes to the things in our days we cannot handle apart from his grace and action helping us to "get through"! By entering through faith into what God has always wanted to do for us—set us right with him, make us fit for him—we have it all together with God because of our Master Jesus. And that’s not all: We throw open our doors to God and discover at the same moment that he has already thrown open his door to us. We find ourselves standing where we always hoped we might stand—out in the ...