The Plumbline

Seek the Lord while you can find him. Call on him now while he is near. (Isaiah 55:6) Seek - a simple word, with such significance. In most instances, when a person seeks, they want to find something. There is a hope they will discover what it is they are looking for. At other times, the activity of seeking actually takes an individual away from where they are and what they are doing to move them into a totally different place. When we seek Jesus, we do both! S - see the futility of looking in all the old places, doing all the old things, expecting different results. Too frequently, we "seek" the answers to life's challenges in ways we have rehearsed time and time again. There will be times when one who seeks Jesus first in their lives has to learn new ways of 'doing life' than might have previously been pursued. E - expect God to move in your life when you seek him with your whole heart. There is a change about to come in our lives when we open up to his movement...

Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land. (2 Chronicles 7:14) Pope Francis was quoted as saying, "Every man, every woman who has to take up the service of government, must ask themselves two questions: 'Do I love my people in order to serve them better? Am I humble and do I listen to everybody, to diverse opinions in order to choose the best path?' If you don't ask those questions, your governance will not be good." The only thing I would add to this is, "Do I listen to God above all others, seeking his will and not my own?" I believe the hallmarks of a great leader are more than the ability to make money or be famous for this or that action. The hallmarks of a great leader and therefore, a great nation, are humility, a willingness to serve others, intentional time with God, listening to his voic...

Lord, you give me all that I need. You support me. You give me my share. My share is wonderful. My inheritance is very beautiful. I praise the Lord because he taught me well. Even at night he put his instructions deep inside my mind. I always remember that the Lord is with me. He is here, close by my side, so nothing can defeat me. (Psalm 16:5-8) It is good for us to remember who is right there with us, even when the hardest of things come to pass and we see no way out. God hasn't ever abandoned his children, and he isn't about to start now! We have ALL that we need to overcome whatever we face - we may not always see it immediately, but we have MORE than we need! As this psalm draws to a close, the words of our psalmist really reveal his heart: "You will teach me the right way to live. Just being with you will bring complete happiness." He desires God to teach him the right way to live - to help him with his choices. He wants his 'happine...

Goodness makes a nation great, but sin is a shame to any people. (Proverbs 14:34) It is GOODNESS that makes a nation great again, not a man, a political party, or an office. It is the people who set their hearts right with Jesus, welcoming him into their lives, and living in such a manner so as to please God who make it great. No one in the past, nor in the future, whoever holds office is capable of filling hearts with goodness - the very ingredient that makes a country 'great'.  God changes the heart of a man or woman who welcomes him into their lives, giving him authority to rule and reign in place of their own pride or selfish will. Is it possible for other things or people to change a man's heart in the same way? I don't think it is, but it is possible to change a person's heart by leading someone into the pathway of sin simply with the use of misleading untruths.  This is why it is so important for us to observe God's actions, see what responses his Son had...

“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) Jesus is telling us how important it is to pray - to take our concerns, needs, hurts, and hang-ups to him in prayer. In other words, we are to use our words to express our need. What happens if we don't know what to pray for - when the situation is there, but we have no idea what to ask him to do for us in that situation? We seek wisdom. Sometimes we don't know what is happening in our lives, but we know we need God's help in that moment. We lay out our need, both the one we recognize easily, as well as the one we have a hard time articulating. Then we listen. Prayer is about asking, seeking, and knocking (importuning). We don't always ask, so how do we expect to receive. We might not always se...

We can seek refuge in a great many things, such as our bank accounts, but I heard a report just the other day indicating that Americans once reported they felt 'secure' when they were making six figures - today they only feel secure when that 'six figures' is upwards of a quarter-million a year! The average worker goes into a new job interview expecting to make upwards of around $78,000 annually - up $5,000 from the previous year. If we haven't learned by now, our refuge is not in a bank accounts or retirement funds. It is found in God alone - all other 'placement of trust' is like taking refuge in a cardboard box in the midst of a hurricane! Keep me safe, O God, for I have come to you for refuge. I said to the Lord, “You are my Master! Every good thing I have comes from you.” (Psalm 16:1-2) Put your trust in money, and you soon find you are spending a whole lot of time and energy working to get money, thinking about money, and talking about how to make or ...