The Plumbline

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 1:13) Be Ready! This might be the words some are holding onto this year, having endured much in the past year that almost did them in, but hopeful for great things in the new year. What does a state of readiness look like? In the military, when we were told to be ready, it meant rucksack and duffle packed, all the supplies we'd need at the ready, and our schedules so flexible we could leave at a moment's notice. In the medical profession, when were put on standby, it required us to be able to respond within thirty minutes of notification we were ne...

Prepare your minds for action and exercise self-control. Put all your hope in the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world. So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. (I Peter 1:13-15) Have you ever sat down, knowing you were about to face a tougher than usual circumstance, just preparing your heart and mind for what is about to happen? If we did this before we took any actions in life, I wonder how much of a difference it would actually make? I know we couldn't just take five before everything we are about to do, but if we prepare our hearts and minds first thing in the day, I wonder if our days would be a little less 'self-controlled' and a little more 'Spirit-controlled'? Slipping back is easy - actually comprehending the triggers th...

A prudent person sees trouble coming and ducks; a simpleton walks in blindly and is clobbered. (Proverbs 22:3) Some might equate 'prudent' to being "street-wise". The individual who is prudent has learned who and what can be trusted, when each needs to be put to practical use, and what can be counted on to deliver the best results. There is another definition of the prudent man or woman: thrifty or frugal. I guess this might be why the word is used in this passage - it is kind of like a prudent person who is streetwise knows when to expend their energies and when to let things go because the energies expended will just be way too much! A simpleton is just an ignorant, silly or foolish person; what some may call a numskull. It really points out the way the simpleton works - with his or her brain asleep! This is a direct contrast to how the prudent operates - for the prudent is always on alert. There is something quite dangerous about letting one's mind be l...

No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he’ll never let you be pushed past your limit; he’ll always be there to help you come through it. (I Corinthians 10:13) Pay close attention to the words here - nowhere in scripture does it ever say a Christian will be 'problem-free' in life, nor that temptation and testing will somehow just magically never come our way. In fact, it promises there will be both testing and temptation - trials of our faith; testing of our conviction and dedication. What is promised is that God will ALWAYS be right there to help us come THROUGH it. He never leaves us defenseless - he expects us to set up good defenses BEFORE we have to go THROUGH them! All of us have to face trials and temptations - there is no way to escape the fact they will come our way. If we prepare AHEAD of time, going THROUGH them with Christ at our side will mean we s...

Don’t overlook the obvious here, friends. With God, one day is as good as a thousand years, a thousand years as a day. God isn’t late with his promise as some measure lateness. He is restraining himself on account of you, holding back the End because he doesn’t want anyone lost. He’s giving everyone space and time to change. ( Peter 3:9) How do you measure lateness? I remember being all ready to have my daughter walk down the aisle and realizing the groom and his best man were far from ready. I didn't realize his interpretation of 'on time' was different from mine. We waited until he was, obviously - because he is a great guy and he makes my daughter happy! I had to learn to 'chill' a bit because when we said the wedding would be at 'x' time, I just expected it would be at 'x' time. "X" can be one thing to us and quite another thing to God, as well. If you have ever had to 'wait on his timing', you realize quickly that our 'mis-...

Charles Swindoll posed the idea that "life is 10% of what happens to you and 90% how you react to it", because he proposes reaction can be controlled or 'governed'. I imagine God sits around sometimes just watching some of our reactions to some of the things in life that shouldn't have thrown us into a tizzy, but there we are - in a pickle and sour as all get out because of what is going on in our lives. Life doesn't have to elicit reactions from us - we offer them quite freely, don't we? We are moved by the oddest things, shut down by others, and completely oblivious at times to things that should have cause us some sort of reaction. In my day to day work, I plan the action so we don't have to be so 'reactive'. It is called being 'proactive' - knowing how we will 'act' before there is ever a need for a reaction. Learn well how to wait so you will be strong and complete and in need of nothing. If you do not have wisdom, ask God ...

There are days when I feel ever so grateful and aware of each breath, each rhythmic thump of my heart, and each wisp of air as it gently passes through my hair. The moments don't pass me by unnoticed - keenly aware of the people surrounding me, the challenges ahead of each of them, and the enjoyment we find in just being together. Perhaps we get too caught up in life at times to even realize the type of fight we all are really in with each new step we take. In the specific moments we take to actually pause long enough to look around, we often discover we are in the fight of our lifetime - not alone in this fight, because others are right there, dukes raised, readying themselves for their own fights! God is strong, and he wants you strong . So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we'll walk aw...

Keep a cool head. Stay alert. The Devil is poised to pounce, and would like nothing better than to catch you napping. Keep your guard up. You're not the only ones plunged into these hard times. It's the same with Christians all over the world. So keep a firm grip on the faith. The suffering won't last forever. It won't be long before this generous God who has great plans for us in Christ—eternal and glorious plans they are!—will have you put together and on your feet for good. He gets the last word; yes, he does. (I Peter 5:8-11) Today we find a reminder of the importance of keeping our guard - never, never letting it down because when we do, the dangers lurk.  This is a call to stay alert, aware of our surroundings, attentive to things that cross our path - it won't be smooth sailing all the way and we need to be 'aware' of all that comes our way.  Here we see a picture of the Devil being "poised to pounce" much like a large jungle cat just...

As another wave of storms swept through the valley over the past three days, they came with quite strong winds and what some call "micro-bursts" of storm activity.  These micro-bursts have the capacity to dump a lot of rain at once in seemingly one spot, combined with high winds which do significant damage.  Block walls were leveled, power poles snapped in two, and trees uprooted.  It seems like the storms lately have become more and more "aggressive", taking their toll on the neighborhoods where they hit the most.  It also seems like there are areas of our large metropolis where these storms hit with such frequency that people are constantly "bouncing back" from them.  Some areas were hit with nearly three-quarters of an inch of rain, while others enjoyed a steady rain most would consider nothing more than sprinkles.  Close to 30,000 customers were without electrical power for over one day.  At first this doesn't seem to significant in the face of th...