The Plumbline

Those who wait for perfect weather will never plant seeds; those who look at every cloud will never harvest crops. (Ecclesiastes 11:4) Edmund Hillary said, "It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves." We see the mountain and convince ourselves it is too hard to traverse. If we are ever to get to the other side, we need to get over ourselves and embrace the mountain! We could wait for all the conditions of our lives to be 'perfect' before we take the first step toward whatever it is that stands as your 'mountain' - but we all know 'perfect' is hard to find and short-lived. Some of us need to get over ourselves and begin to take the steps we know to take - not the ones we might take if conditions were 'right'.  "Perfect" is a condition where all the parts conform ABSOLUTELY to the description or definition of some 'ideal' we have formed within our minds. Many times, our 'ideal' is not quite accurate - it has been c...

I will freely admit that I don't have my life all put together, packaged up in a neat little 'perfect' package. In fact, there are frayed edges, places where the seams are coming apart, and some pretty messy 'junk drawers' in my life! How about you? Do you have a 'perfect' package going on? Or are you probably a little like me - still not quite as 'put together' as you'd like, but well on your way? I’m not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don’t get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I’ve got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I’m off and running, and I’m not turning back. (Philippians 3:14) The real crux of it all is that we are 'well underway'. We aren't turning back and we aren't going to get off on tangents, going who knows where. The more ...

We go through life looking for the "perfect" object - whatever it may be.  We search for the "perfect mate" - like finding a compatible mate wasn't hard enough!  We seek the "perfect house" - like a roof over our heads and a reasonable amount of space to live within isn't enough to protect us from the elements.  We research the "perfect ride" - like running with decent gas mileage and getting us reliably from point A to point B isn't going to do it.  We are always seeking, seldom finding, and often frustrated because we search for what is impossible to find!  Perfection is inherent in one individual - God himself.  We cannot find the perfect "anything" unless that "anything" is really God himself! The Lord gives perfect peace to those whose faith is firm. So always trust the Lord because he is forever our mighty rock. (Isaiah 26:3-4 CEV) The thing about finding what is "perfect" is that it is...