The Plumbline

I will bless the Lord who guides me; even at night my heart instructs me. You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever. (Psalm 16:7,11) We can never underestimate the peace our hearts experience when we listen to and follow God's instructions. God's guidance isn't always "consciously sought", for there are times when he just comes to us within the stillness or peacefulness of our night's sleep. We may not even realize he has spoken to us, giving us that much needed direction, until we awaken and feel what he has done. As David says, "You are my Master! All the good things I have come from you." (vs. 2) When we refuse to make ourselves comfortable with the pursuit of this world's treasures, aspirations, or alluring temptations, we might just find we hear God's voice just a little clearer. What does it mean to "be at peace"? I believe it means we aren't swayed...

I am sure that the good work God began in you will continue until he completes it on the day when Jesus Christ comes again. (Philippians 1:6) We can sometimes feel like we aren't going to get to where we hoped to get to, finish what we hoped to finish, or just accomplish that one big thing we set in our sights. What we do with those moments determines if we will ever direct our focus toward it long enough to see it completed. We cannot think of having to "rest" in between the spaces or seasons of "accomplishing stuff" as a negative thing. I think God purposefully gives us some seasons in our lives where we kind of "coast" for a while because he knows we'd be overwhelmed if he didn't. He knows our personality and our emotional make-up. Just because you need to step back for a moment, don't be defeated - God isn't finished! The seasons of emotional, physical, and spiritual frenzy would be our undoing if they continued on and on. Don...

John Wooden reminds us to, "Never mistake activity for achievement." We can all get wrapped up in the 'activity' and miss out on really achieving much in it. When we focus on the activity rather than the reason for it, the people involved in it, and the outcome we desire to see from it, we miss out on the moment. He also reminds us that it is the "little details that are vital...they make big things happen". There comes a time when we need to just 'make big things happen' in life. We need to buy that new car, move to a new house, start a new job, get involved in a new church, or learn to make new friends. Much activity doesn't mean we will accomplish any of these - it just means we may not sleep very well at night! Too much activity gives you restless dreams; too many words make you a fool. (Ecclesiastes 5:3) As important as the activity may be, we need to be able to shut down and rest. We need that renewal for the health of our bodies and brain...

  If you wake me each morning with the sound of your loving voice,  I’ll go to sleep each night trusting in you.  Point out the road I must travel;   I’m all ears, all eyes before you.  Save me from my enemies,   God — you’re my only hope!  Teach me how to live to please you,   because you’re my God.  Lead me by your blessed Spirit   into cleared and level pastureland. (Psalm 143:8-10) The sound of God's voice - do you know what that is? Do you recognize his still small voice? When we learn to recognize God's voice, there is a certain sense of peace that settles into our hearts. We begin to 'operate' on a different level because we know his guidance will establish our path. All God asks of each of us is that we be 'all ears' when it comes to his voice, and 'closed ears' when it comes to listening to the voice of temptation or evil.  God's greatest delight is for us to desire to live in a manner that pleases him - allowing him to hel...

I am God, your God, who teaches you how to live right and well. I show you what to do, where to go. (Isaiah 48:17) It is in this same chapter of Isaiah that we get our saying, "No rest for the wicked". The exact reading is: "There is no peace," says God, "for the wicked." The nation of Israel, delivered from Egypt to enter into a great land of prosperity and promise, chose to walk away from the one thing God asked of them - undivided and unchallenged loyalty to him. In the end, they knew no 'peace' - for they chose to live as the wicked of the land. We make good choices right alongside some not so wise ones, don't we? We do it all the time - choosing 'when' to be obedient and 'when' to live as we want to in the moment. Choice will always be ours - what we do when presented with the 'options' around us is 'learned' - it doesn't always come naturally for us to choose wisely. God shows us what to do and where t...

Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer's day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time. (John Lubbock) Lubbock also reminds us that a day of worry is worse than a week of work! We spend a great deal of time 'working on things', only to rework them a little later. We clean today, but by next week this time, the cleaning must be repeated. Why? Life happened and dirt came. As with our living environment, life happens and dirt comes into our lives in the areas of our emotions, thoughts, and even our relationships. We must constantly be aware that life will 'happen', but when we have prepared for it, we are able to face the challenge of the 'dirt' as it arises. I have extra cleaning products in the house - not just enough to keep it clean today. One way we are always ready to deal with 'life's dirt' as it comes is to be 'rested', f...

And me? I’m singing your prowess, shouting at dawn your largesse, for you’ve been a safe place for me, a good place to hide. Strong God, I’m watching you do it, I can always count on you— God, my dependable love. (Psalm 59:16) A safe place - do you have one? I have a safe place where I can be me, unwind in the way I enjoy, and just get downright comfy in my space. It is called home. I also have a safe place spiritually where I can be myself, unwind in the way I enjoy, while being quite comfortable in that 'space' - it is called God's presence. I am privileged to have two 'sanctuaries' of sorts - one quite physical, the other spiritual. Both bring evenness or balance to my emotions, rest to my body, and peace to my mind. Although both can give me a certain sense of 'sanctuary', the only place of true sanctuary is in Christ Jesus - in the presence of God.  While some view a place of sanctuary as a place of communion with God, others see it as a place of 'p...

You’re my place of quiet retreat; I wait for your Word to renew me. I shiver in awe before you; your decisions leave me speechless with reverence. (Psalm 119:114) Whenever we declare God to be our 'place', we are saying we are 'positioned' within him. We are not just in the region of him, but we are in close intimate contact with him. When I ask you over to my 'place', do you go to my neighbor's and declare you are 'at my place'? No, you come right up to my front door, ring the bell, or come right in because I have opened the door for you. We are 'placed into' Christ's presence and it is there we are to dwell as a quiet place of retreat from all this world demands of us. I enjoy a quiet afternoon just kicking back and doing nothing from time to time. Why? It renews me a bit. It creates a calm within my life and it helps me unburden from the stuff that normally puts a weight upon my shoulders. Laundry done, floors vacuumed, bathrooms scru...

I am not a 'runner' like some are - simply because my knees cannot take that stress. I do enjoy a good brisk walk, though. In a spiritual sense, we all 'run' a race, so to speak - just as in the natural sense of running, we need to learn the spiritual principles that help us to run so as not to hurt ourselves. Some of us will run in a direction all of our own choosing, but when we do, we run alone. As a believer in Christ, we run in a race alongside the greatest runner of all times - Christ himself. If having his example (pace-setting) before us is not enough, he left us with a huge crowd of "models" who also ran the race and won. We can learn much by considering how they ran. Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we'd better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this ...

Do you ever have a hard time staying awake when you finally kick back in that recliner or favorite spot on the couch? It is like some mystical thing happens while you are watching TV or reading your book. Slowly, but ever so slowly, your eyes get heavier and heavier, until there is no resisting the urge to just close them for what you believe will be 'just a moment'. Then...without notice...you are snoozing away! The worst part about it is that it is only 6:30 p.m.! The sun has just set behind the hillside and the darkness has crept in - and somehow your body interprets that as it is time for a little slumber! If I happen to drift into one of these 'recliner comas' at that hour of the night, I am usually not able to get to sleep at my regular bedtime because my body will have found rest and 'recovery' after about 30 minutes! As hard as it may be to get up from the recliner and take a few laps around the house, it is what helps me to maintain alertness and to avo...

Life comes at us hard and it comes fast. The journey gets a little rough - too hard to handle alone. We get fatigued - worn out by the constant pressures and worries. Sometimes we just need a break because the battle has been long and hard - that moment of solitude when we just sit back and let the worries of the battle pass from us. Notice, I did not say we let the battle pass us by, but rather we 'regroup' and 'repair' for what is next to come. Regardless of the reason for needing to be "carried", there are times when we just cannot go it alone.There are times in life when we just need a little "carrying". I find encouragement in this passage today. The "unchanging" GOD is ALL strength for his people, AMPLE refuge for his chosen, SAVIOR of his people, and the one who BLESSES his heritage. In him, we find CARE and the open, welcoming arms to be CARRIED for a while. The one who's promises to us never fail - he has us in his care. The ...

So many today are exhibiting some 'social behavior' that is contrary to what I'd have to call 'trust'. Look at the shelves in your local grocer and you will find it is almost impossible to buy even the 'thin and cheap' kind of toilet paper! The hoarding of toilet paper is very real thing - if you don't believe me, look on Amazon right now to see how many brands are sold out with a 30 day 'expected delivery' date on them! The panic is real - somehow making it impossible to purchase basic necessities - but creating havoc for those who might actually have trusted there would be cold medicine on the shelf when they awoke feeling a little punk this morning! Workplaces are shutting down, meetings are being cancelled, and you know there must be significant panic if the national and professional sporting events all cancel their season! God has a message for those who are panic-driven: "Be still, listen, and trust in me. I am your shield, your protec...

Back in caveman days, the hammer and chisel were employed to record specific details that may have needed recording for others to see. The stone would be carved out, or perhaps a large section of fallen tree. The use of such rudimentary tools to communicate are a thing of the past. In today's electronic age, we seldom resort to "snail mail" as a means of keeping in touch with others in our lives, much less the use of hammer and chisel on stone. It is the "immediacy" of email and instant messaging which makes it all the more appealing to us - the ability to 'get the message out' to the intended audience in record speed draws us in. In the past, the "news" we'd share about changes in our lives would come via the postal service, arriving to the recipient days after the "news" was indeed "news". In the military, we had mail call. It was a time when we'd all gather around in hopes of one link to home in the form of a s...

Restless nights, busy days, more restless nights - does this describe any of our lifestyles? I know I can run so hard that I am exhausted at the end of the day, only to be too tired to actually get a good night's rest. My body yearns for a little rest, but my mind just won't shut down. I toss and turn - hoping to drift into a restful slumber - but realizing it evades me more than I thought it would. There are all kinds of definitions for 'being tired', but not all of them end with us getting the rest we actually desperately need.  Come to me and I will give you rest—all of you who work so hard beneath a heavy yoke. Wear my yoke—for it fits perfectly—and let me teach you; for I am gentle and humble, and you shall find rest for your souls; for I give you only light burdens.” ( Matthew 11:28 TLB ) Weariness of soul really has no other resting place until we are willing to let go of the burdens we feel we must bear alone. It was George Bernard Shaw who told us, ...

I have some friends who are cool, calm, and relaxed no matter what comes their way. I have others who seem to get more and more frazzled by each mounting stress in their lives, until they are 'spinning' in absolute frenzy. We all have times when our days just seem to spin out of control. It is not an easy thing for many of us - we don't like to have the control of our days in the hands of anyone else! Whenever control shifts, we feel "out of control" - anxiety creeps in, frustration mingles with our anxious thoughts, until we end up on the edge of wanting to just scream, "Give me back the reigns, fool!" Okay, if this has never described your day, don't read on! If it has...maybe you'd benefit as much as I do from pondering the words of the 23rd Psalm. God, my shepherd! I don't need a thing. You have bedded me down in lush meadows, you find me quiet pools to drink from. True to your word, you let me catch my breath and send me in the ri...

If it has been a long while since you have been able to get away on vacation or to a quiet spot on a beach, high in the mountains, or just alone by a pool somewhere, then you know there is nothing more renewing than a little retreat. I used to think of times of retreat as something along the line of a "forced withdrawal". I really just did not enjoy time away from what I was doing everyday. Some would have called me a little too retentive to let things go and let others take the reins for a while so I could enjoy time away. I have come to recognize that "retreat" is sometimes the most strategic thing you can do! You're my place of quiet retreat; I wait for your Word to renew me. (Psalm 119:114) The very act of withdrawing into a place of quiet and safety is often the best move we make - even when we know there are a whole lot of other 'movements' that need to be made. That very movement into a place of what appears to be a lack of movement is actua...

Have you ever awakened from sleep only to feel a little MORE tired than when you went to bed? Just because you 'slept' doesn't always mean you 'rested', does it? Sometimes our sleep is restless, because of the burdens we bear or the interruptions in life that seem to interfere with that 'rest'. For some of us, it is the company we have been keeping that keeps us from resting more than anything else. Maybe that company is us! It doesn't have to always be anyone else - we can be our own worst company at times! No one knows the Father unless they know the Son - keep company with him and you will get to know God. That is the basis of Jesus' teaching - know me, the Son of God, and you will know the one who sent me, my Father God. Why is this important? Jesus tells us that no one really knows the Father like the Son does. Our kids know us so well - it stands to reason Jesus would know his Father very well, too! Since he knows what impedes our rest, isn...

There aren't too many of us who can honestly report we are 'true to our word' all the time. We might intend to live with integrity and not make empty promises, but truth be told, we all struggle with saying things we will eventually forget or not find significant enough to focus our energies on any longer. The commitment may have been made, but that promise kind of takes the backseat when something more 'urgent' comes along. It is a good thing God doesn't get distracted by the 'urgent' and forget his promises toward us! His word is true and consistent - not moved by the distractions of life. One of the most significant ways he keeps his word is when he gives us space to just breathe a little in life. Space to catch our breath comes in many forms, even when we find the going is tough and the way seems to be riddled with all manner of things trying to get us down or off course. God, my shepherd! I don’t need a thing. You have bedded me down in lush mea...

Times come when we might just feel like things are spinning a little out of control - or at least out of our control. Those times can be disconcerting and might just send us into a tailspin if we don't maintain the right focus. There are always moments in each day when I cry out a short prayer to Jesus just because things seem to be creeping in that are capable of disturbing the control which has been maintained - because I don't want that control to go to anyone else other than him! Every morning you'll hear me at it again. Every morning I lay out the pieces of my life on your altar and watch for fire to descend. (Psalm 5:2-3) Some days just seek like chaos is created wherever we go. Yet, if we look closely, the very thing that is the same in each of those situations is US. Where we are, there is chaos. True that it may be that God brings good stuff out of chaos, we don't want to be the thing creating that chaos. Some of us feel like all that God is up to in and a...

There are lots of invitations that come our way. We get invited to birthday parties, sometimes celebrating huge milestones in one's life. We receive invitations to social events such as the grand opening of an art gallery, new theater production, or movie premiers. We are encouraged to attend small events that honor someone who has done a great job, or larger ones that celebrate their heroic efforts. Invitations some in all shapes and sizes, for small and big events, celebrating great and small achievements. One invitation rises above all the rest - the one that invites us to recover our lives. "Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”  Matthew 11:28 MSG I get tired at ...