The Plumbline

13 So 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. 14 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. 15 But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. 16 For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.”   (I Peter 1:13-16 NLT) While preparing for an exam in school, the one thing most of us did was kind of "cram" the night before the exam. I found this particularly true when in nursing school because the volume of information we had to "consume" in just a short period of time was astronomical. The "cram session" usually involved going over notes, reading key passages again in various texts, and if I was lucky enough to find someone to cram with, we'd "test" each other ...

There are times when I feel pretty "cowardly" in this life.  I don't like big, hairy spiders and would rather not encounter them.  Yep, I will deal with them when I do because it is just me, so if I don't, they will soon overrun my house if given a place to dwell unharmed.  Now, the means I use to get rid of them may be a little odd on occasion, but it works!  I grab whatever is in my path - like the Windex, Spray-N-Wash, or even an occasional can of Raid.  They get a good dousing with whatever I can wrap my hands around the quickest.  I have been known to empty an entire can of room deodorizer on those creepy crawlers!  They might not die instantly, but they go to their grave smelling rather good!  You might ask why I don't take a shoe and just smash them.  I would have to say this is where the cowardly part comes in. Using the shoe requires accurate aim, and I have to get rather close to them to actually make the connection.  I'd rath...

I think we'd all admit to times when self-control just flies out the window and something akin to no control at all takes over.  You know what I mean - the best of intentions exist at the beginning of the day, but as the day wanes on and your "self-control" dial slowly edges back toward zero and suddenly you find the ability to resist whatever it is you are trying to apply self-control to is just null and void.  Those moments happen to the best of us - not because we lacked self-control, but because we just somehow "leaked" all our self-control right out of us!  At the moment we need it most - it is gone.  At the moment when it would make all the difference in the world, it is like finding a spatula to scrape the tiniest fragment of mayo out of the jar because we are desperate for a sandwich!  The moment we realize we are on "zero" as it comes to our "self-control reserve", we panic and see ourselves plummeting head-long into stuff we know b...

As a child, when times got rough, I'd try to blame someone else for the "roughness" I was experiencing. For example, if it was me who snatched a cookie out of the cookie jar before dinner and left a trail of crumbs right up to where I was sitting playing, I would try to deny it was me! Or like the time mom came home to find my mouth black and my breath smelling heavily of anise only to hear me deny repeatedly that I had been into my grandmother's licorice candy! I denied because I knew the admittance of guilt would bring punishment - but denial doesn't guarantee escape! It only shifts the blame or focus for a moment, but not for the "savvy" parent. The parent who loves and knows their child will not be caught off-guard by the child's adamant denials! In fact, they will pursue the denial until the child squirms a little and finally admits to the "crime"! Why? They love us too much to let us get away with the "sin"! God love...

Back in the day, cities were surrounded by walls - some wood, others a combination of wood and stone.  Walls provided a means of defending the city.  There could be a couple sets of walls - each thoroughly encircling the city and several feet separating the outer from inner wall.  Those who might want to do harm to those living within those walls were only able to do so if they could find a way past those walls.  Therefore, the integrity of the walls was quite important.  Broken down walls almost always ensured a city in ruins and with a people just too tired or lazy to do the repairs.  The land within the walls could have huge potential - as could the people - but the potential remained untapped simply because there were no defenses.  A person without self-control is like a city with broken down walls - no real defensive stand can be taken if you lack self-control. A person without self-control  is like a house with its doors and windows kno...

As little babies, we are fascinated with all things sparkly and bright colored. The slightest hint of gleam and we direct our attention toward the object.  It is part of our make-up to be drawn to that which pleases our senses, isn't it? Smell the wonderful aroma of freshly baked bread and your mouth begins to water for the enjoyment of savoring a warm slice lathered in rich butter.  See the shiny new car you have been dreaming of and you can see yourself behind the seat cruising down the street.  Hear the tender notes of some melody and your toes will start tapping with the beat.  Our bodies respond to stimulus from without, but that response begins on the INSIDE in response to the thing we are "taking in" through one of our senses.  Ever eaten one too many slices of luscious warm bread smothered in fresh butter?  How about going into debt to buy the shiny automobile you really could not afford?  Or perhaps listening to music in lieu of doing the one...

We are almost done with our exploration of the character traits God desires to work into our lives.  As you may have well imagined, this list is far from complete, even with the ones I have listed along the way.  In fact, you probably thought of a few in the list which I did not mention - it is okay, because God is probably expanding that list for each of us as we explore these traits.  This was a starting point for us to consider how it is God builds character within - a starting point of beginning the moving from just knowledge in our heads about what God wants us to do into a place of allowing God to actually do it within!  As we explore our "T" List today, I chose just two traits:  Temperance and Truthfulness.  How we define temperance today is probably a little different than they did in the days of King James, but generally it means moderation.  It is the ability to exhibit a little self-restraint, especially where it applies to any of our "natur...

Today we will examine our "M" List - let's call it the "M&M's" of spiritual character: Mercy and Meekness.  Most of us really don't use the word "meek" or "meekness" in our vocabulary all that often, so we will do well to refresh ourselves on its meaning.  Mercy seems to be something we pretty much understand - at least in theory, if not in perfect practice yet in our lives!  The Sermon on the Mount is the location for our two passages today - the first describing the character trait of meekness, the second mercy.  Let's dig in... “You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are—no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought." (Matthew 5:5 MSG) “You’re blessed when you care. At the moment of being ‘care-full,’ you find yourselves cared for." (Matthew 5:7 MSG) Now, you may not have seen either word in these passages, but if you go to a more "...

  4-6  When they hear what you have to say,  God , all earth's kings will say "Thank you."  They'll sing of what you've done: "How great the glory of  God !"  And here's why:  God , high above, sees far below; no matter the distance, he knows everything about us.    7-8  When I walk into the thick of trouble,  keep me alive in the angry turmoil.  With one hand  strike my foes, w ith your other hand  save me.   Finish what you started in me,  God . Your love is eternal—don't quit on me now. (Psalm 138:4-8) David had a special way of telling us about how God interacts with is children.  This psalm is just another example of what David had come to know about the Lord he served.  Imagine all kinds of this earth proclaiming that God is great and that his glory is high above all other!  David must have been speaking prophetically here, because we sure have not see...

  19  Let angry people endure the backlash of their own anger;    if you try to make it better, you'll only make it worse.  (Proverbs 19:19) There is a message in this passage that has two-sides to it.  The first is the fact that short-fused individuals reap a return on their lack of self-control quicker than they'd like.  The end-result of their outbursts is that a "wake" is left.  That wake leaves damages that are often unable to be repaired.  Trust is lost, respect is disintegrated, and relationships are brought to ruin. Yet, the most dangerous place to be is in the middle trying to either "reign in" or "mitigate the fall-out" of the outbursts of an individual that has no real sense of what their outbursts are doing.  At some point, we may need to step back.  When we are in the middle, the backlash affects us often more than it does the individual with the lack of self-control.  How many times do we get "involve...