The Plumbline

I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels—a plentiful harvest of new lives. Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who care nothing for their life in this world will keep it for eternity. Anyone who wants to serve me must follow me, because my servants must be where I am. And the Father will honor anyone who serves me. (John 12:24-26) A kernel of wheat is planted and dies. That doesn't actually present a picture of a bountiful harvest, does it? Or maybe it does, because in dying, the seed actually brings forth an abundance of wheat. We might interpret this passage as a 'dud' seed being planted that really doesn't do what it is supposed to do, but Jesus makes it clear that in dying, the seed actually becomes 'fruitful'. There is much to be said about sacrificially laying down one's life for the betterment of another, but there was no greate...

Jesus is the one who saves us. He is the God that we serve. I pray that God will help you and give you peace in your minds more and more. You will grow as believers because you know God and you know Jesus, our Lord. God is very powerful because he is God. He has used that power to help us. He has given us everything that we need to live in a good way. We can do things that make God happy. This is possible because now we know him. God has chosen us to be his people because he is very great and very good. Because of this, God has promised that he will do very great and valuable things for us. As a result, you can do what is right, like God does. The people who belong to this world want to do bad things. Those bad things make them become worse and worse. But God gives you the power to be free from all that. (2 Peter 1:2-4) The power to be free from all that - those words speak volumes, don't they? We lived as slaves to sin, but now we live as free men and women, in submissive ser...

As you serve the Lord, work hard and don’t be lazy. Be excited about serving him! Be happy because of the hope you have. Be patient when you have troubles. Pray all the time. Share with God’s people who need help. Look for people who need help and welcome them into your homes. (Romans 12:11-13) Is it possible to be a little 'lazy' in our service to the Lord and his people? Of course it is! We aren't going to be 'on cue' 100% of the time, no matter how hard we try to be consistent. The heart is what matters - are we intentional in our service, focused on what God desires for us to be doing, and looking for ways to help others? Look for people who need help and then do what you can to be of help to them. This is God's plan. Our plan may not always be the same as God's, but as long as we are making ourselves available for his use, he will reveal his plan to us. If you have ever been prompted to do something 'out of the blue' that met the need of someon...

Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. (1 Peter 4:10) Mother Teresa said, "If you can't feed a hundred people, then just feed one." Most of us don't feel extremely talented or gifted, but we can take on small tasks that make all the difference in our hurting world. Whatever gift you have received is for the purpose of serving others. No matter how small, use that gift in service for others and see how God will bless it in grand ways. God isn't after the 'grandiose' in us - he is after the obedience or what we refer to as 'faithfulness' in each of us. My dad always used to quip, "Use it or lose it". It was not bad advice! Use what you are given or lose out on what God intended or purposed for that 'gift' within you. I don't make perfect woodworking projects, but I enjoy blessing others through whatever talent I have. I may not be a publis...

When the church at Jerusalem heard what had happened, they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he arrived and saw this evidence of God’s blessing, he was filled with joy, and he encouraged the believers to stay true to the Lord. Barnabas was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and strong in faith. And many people were brought to the Lord. (Acts 11:22-24) We don't know much about Barnabas, but we do know that he was a Jew, likely well-acquainted with the teachings of Jesus, perhaps he could have been among the seventy or so who followed him throughout his ministry. We do know that he strong in faith and lived an upright life. He was an encourager - exhorting the believers to continue to grow and remain true to their testimony of faith. If you study his life a little closer, you will see he partnered with the Apostle Paul and was instrumental in helping to establish the New Testament churches as Paul itinerated throughout the land. He was generous - selling his parcel of land and giving ...

Jesus and his disciples went to his home in Capernaum. After they were inside the house, Jesus asked them, “What were you arguing about along the way?” They had been arguing about which one of them was the greatest, and so they did not answer. After Jesus sat down and told the twelve disciples to gather around him, he said, “If you want the place of honor, you must become a slave and serve others!” (Mark 9:33-35) We might encounter things in scripture that seem a little bit "counter-intuitive" - making it a little more difficult to really understand the intention of the passage.  Things like "stop stealing and get a job to earn your way in life" seem like easy commands to really understand - they are straight-forward and to the point.  When Jesus tells his disciples that the place of honor goes to those who will serve others, this is a little harder to grasp because the culture of the time didn't give the place of honor to the "slave" in their midst.  ...

Christ encourages you, and his love comforts you. God’s Spirit unites you, and you are concerned for others. (Philippians 2:1)  Most of us love to receive notice for the hard work we are doing - even if it is not "out loud", we want someone to actually recognize our accomplishments. I enjoy seeing someone take the work I have done and put it into use in their own particular situation. It gives me pleasure to see the work utilized. In our Christian walk, we want to be recognized, have our work serve some purpose, and know what we have done really makes a difference. We don't "do good deeds" simply because we desire the accolades, but we are "serving God" in our deeds, knowing he will receive the ultimate praise in the end. In our daily walk, we receive some accolades from Jesus, and we give them right back. It is like he encourages us by giving us a high five or giving us a pat on the shoulder, as though we have done our job well. It may not be a ...

I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy. (Rabindranath Tagore) For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love. (Galatians 5:13) God calls us to serve one another, but do we really understand how service actually works? I think we have a general idea of service as the 'art of helpful activity'. As God sees it, service is more than 'giving' or 'helping' - it provides for a specific need. When we give of ourselves - time, talent, or even our treasure - it honors God greatly when it provides for a specific need. Service is best when it is Christ-based. Keep him at the center of all you do, and you will find opportunities abound for you to share from the 'wealth' of what he has given you. It may not be monetary wealth, but that wealth of wisdom, grace, a...

If anyone boasts, “I love God,” and goes right on hating his brother or sister, thinking nothing of it, he is a liar. If he won’t love the person he can see, how can he love the God he can’t see? The command we have from Christ is blunt: Loving God includes loving people . You’ve got to love both. (I John 4:20-21) It can be hard work to really get into any relationship - from our relationship with Christ to the one with our cubicle mate at work. If you haven't figured it out yet, Christianity is not something you "live out" alone - you actually do much better in your growth when it is shared in relationship with another. We "sharpen" each other by the various things we each lend to the relationship. It is the "differences" we each possess that actually make each relationship so important - for it is in the "differences" where we learn to "walk out" our Christian faith. Immaturity demands everybody be just like who we are - matur...

I was speaking with my daughter this week about the senseless riots, protests, and negative things we see displayed everywhere in social media about those who serve our country in the capacity of law enforcement. I was disheartened to hear how one of our local law enforcement officers (the husband of one of her close friends) is being treated in the light of this latest unwarranted loss of life so many miles away across our country. Even our local law enforcement officers are receiving unwarranted threats, being harshly criticized for their choice of profession, and even live with the fear their parked cars may be vandalized because they bear an emblem in honor of a fallen police officer. Many of these men and women have chosen to serve, not to use their power or authority in any untoward manner, but because they want to serve and protect in ways that genuinely honor life. Many are believers themselves, raising up families within the faith, and trusting God with their lives each minute...

Companies do indeed invest big money into making sure that they are recognizable in the community they serve by the "brand" they have invested time, talent, and energies into creating. They flash their names and photos on billboards, run numerous commercials, wrap vehicles in their 'branding', and send out mailers advertising their product. All these efforts are aimed at one thing - getting us to notice their product and show an interest in it that rises above the interest we have for any other 'similar' product. It is kind of like what God said through Moses so many years ago - "Set yourselves apart..." God was telling us to be known by our "branding" - that which makes us uniquely different from those around us and makes people want what it is that we possess. "Set yourselves apart for a holy life. Live a holy life, because I am God, your God. Do what I tell you; live the way I tell you. I am the God who makes you holy." (Levi...

It hardly seems a day goes by anymore without some tragedy being reported on the evening news of a man or woman bent on harming others by some means of gunfire or violent outburst. The news is filled with these stories of a world in chaos. Maybe not all of the news is 'human caused' events, as even nature seems to be joining in the chaos with volcano eruptions, massive wildfires, and consuming floods. Do we daily lift our leaders before the Lord, asking him to give them wisdom in their decisions? I know that I am not one of those that "regularly" prays for our country's leadership - I almost have to be reminded of the issues, then I remember to pray! Do we daily lift those who have to face hardship after hardship, finding ways to bring them some relief if at all possible? Do we casually say, "I'll pray for you," all the while knowing we will forget about the need just about as soon as that individual is out of our line of sight? 2 When the country is...

Don’t criticize and speak evil about each other, dear brothers. If you do, you will be fighting against God’s law of loving  one   another , declaring it is wrong. But your job is not to decide whether this law is right or wrong, but to obey it. (James 4:11 TLB) As I was considering this morning's blog, I thought about a roll of paper towel hanging from the side of my refrigerator. Do you remember back in the day when paper towel just came in one size? The sheets were all pretty large squares and if you needed less than one square, you just had to take the whole thing. Today, we can tear off these 'half-sheet' sized pieces if we need only a small piece. If we have a slightly bigger job, we can tear off three of these sections, allowing us enough to complete the job, whatever it may be. Some of us want to have the same kind of 'a la carte" way of picking and choosing just how much of our lives we want to give to each other. Sometimes we want to give just a little ...

The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others. ( Mahatma Gandhi) Serve - to render assistance, be of help, be useful. The actions of service are not always as evident today as they may have been in a time when our pace was slower and our lives were a little less "cluttered" with all manner of distractions. I was watching a series of shows called "Little Men" over the past couple of days and observed several 'actions of service' that stemmed from a desire to honor another, create something meaningful another could put to use, etc. In the last episode I observed something akin to someone being on "overload". Deadlines were approaching, unexpected changes in circumstances were making demands on the individual's time, and it was getting harder and harder for her to 'keep up'. Because of the extreme 'overload' the character was carrying, the things she once enjoyed so much became an extreme burden to...

5  Happy are those who are strong in the Lord, who want above all else to follow your steps.  6  When they walk through the Valley of Weeping, it will become a place of springs where pools of blessing and refreshment collect after rains!  7  They will grow constantly in strength, and each of them is invited to meet with the Lord in Zion. (Psalm 84:5-7 TLB) Strong carries different meanings for different folks. To the one who cannot open the jar of pickles, strong are the hands of the one who makes it look so easy. To the one who cannot take their failing pet to the vet for those last few moments of life together, strong are the arms of that one who stands alongside even though it wasn't their lifelong pet. To the one who needs a trench dug through tough Arizona soil, strong are the arms of the teenage man who wields the pickax in rhythmic movement until that soil yields to his strength. Strong is often observed in ways we might label as "service" toward anothe...

10  It is God himself who has made us what we are and given us new lives from Christ Jesus; and long ages ago he planned that we should spend these lives in helping others. (Ephesians 2:10 TLB) This time of year lends itself to people doing kind deeds for those they really know. It seems to be part of the holiday season from Thanksgiving to Christmas. Food banks pile higher with food items donated at the local grocer in collection bins dedicated to ensuring those "less fortunate" have a nice meal for the holidays. Soup kitchens see an influx of volunteer help to prepare meals for the homeless. Red kettles get filled with pocket change and spare dollar bills. It is the season of "doing for others" and it is seen in many ways. As good as it is to serve others in some small way during the holiday season, God has called each of us for "bigger" purposes - to spend our entire lives helping others! Needs are all around us each and everyday. We don't need ...

God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing. (C.S. Lewis)   He is the one who has helped us tell others about his new agreement to save them. We do not tell them that they must obey every law of God or die; but we tell them there is life for them from the Holy Spirit. The old way, trying to be saved by keeping the Ten Commandments, ends in death; in the new way, the Holy Spirit gives them life. ( 2 Corinthians 3:6   TLB ) As a child, mom or dad would instruct me to do something, perhaps a chore to be completed prior to going out to play. Whenever I was given this task, although the task was "reasonable", the effort it took to get it done so I could pursue what "I wanted" always seemed so huge. I wanted to ride bikes with the other neighborhood kids. I wanted to get out the Monopoly game and launch into an all day marathon to see who would amass millions. The things I "wanted" mattered t...

“But maybe you don’t want to serve the  Lord . You must choose for yourselves today. Today you must decide who you will serve. Will you serve the gods that your ancestors worshiped when they lived on the other side of the Euphrates River? Or will you serve the gods of the Amorites who lived in this land? You must choose for yourselves. But as for me and my family, we will serve the  Lord .” ( Joshua 24:15   ERV ) We all serve something. It may be we serve ourselves - paying close attention to our needs and wants, while shutting out the needs and wants of those around us. We might serve others - doing all they demand and even more, but ignoring all the needs of our own body, mind, or soul. We could even serve something - not a person, but rather an object that has become the central focus of our existence, such as alcohol, drugs, or addictive substance. It really isn't as much a matter of "serving" as it is making a choice as to who or what we will allow in that space r...

As you  serve  the Lord, work hard and don’t be lazy. Be excited about serving him!   (Romans 12:11 ERV) The late Peter Marshall said, "The measure of life is not its duration, but its donation." Let that one take hold for just a moment, then ask yourself what it is you have "donated" to the lives around you this week. What are you "giving" of yourself in the relationships you have around you? How are you meeting the needs of those who rely upon you or look to you for assistance? Some will answer that they went to work, provided food on the table, and gave them a roof over their heads. Others will say they wrote a check, made a donation, or joined an organization that supports a cause. I'd have to ask if we are really making that much of a donation in our relationships or toward our "causes", though. There is nothing more important than you giving of yourself - not just your funds. Doesn't our passage tell us to work hard and not b...

3  For by the grace given to me I say to every one of you not to think more highly of yourself than you ought to think, but to think with sober discernment, as God has distributed to each of you a measure of faith.  4  For just as in one body we have many members, and not all the members serve the same function,  5  so we who are many are one body in Christ, and individually we are members who belong to one another.  (Romans 12:3-5 ESV)  I don't know if you have ever considered "belonging to one another" before, but in light of this reminder from the Apostle Paul, let us spend some time today just exploring what that may "look like" in our everyday life. One of the first things that comes to mind if I truly realize I belong to someone other than myself is that my normal focus on "me" is going to need to change! It has to be about someone other than me all of the time! That may not be the most popular concept to put our there to begin with, but it is ...