The Plumbline

The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name. (Psalm 23:1-3) We might equate this psalm with funerals, but I tend to equate it with normal, everyday life. Why? Read it again and you will see it speaks of provision, protection, and passages - something 'dead people' no longer require! As the Lord 'shepherds' our lives, we have all that we need - nothing is outside of his provision - all good things come from his hand. All that we need - nothing that is needed lacking, but maybe not every 'want' met. I know I have said this before, but there is a huge difference sometimes between what I need and what I want. I want the chocolate bar - I need the piece of fruit. I want the shiny new truck - I need reliable, practical transportation. Need and want are sometimes a bit hard for us to differentiate, but when God i...

The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. (Psalm 23:1) Take note, it is all we NEED, not all we WANT. We might want things that aren't always all that beneficial for us to have, but God knows what we NEED and he always works things to meet those needs. John reminds us, "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me." (10:27) Whose voice do you hear most - God's or your own? Who we listen to the most might just be the factor in what it is we pursue! Sheep know the voice of the Shepherd. It is how sheep know how to follow THEIR shepherd and not wander away with just 'any old shepherd' who calls for them to come their way. Sheep might 'intermingle' while grazing in the field, but when they hear the voice of their master, they know when it is time to separate and go where he leads. We might 'intermingle' a bit with this world and hear all the voices calling to us to 'come', but there is only one voice we are actually ...

Let me set this before you as plainly as I can. If a person climbs over or through the fence of a sheep pen instead of going through the gate, you know he’s up to no good—a sheep rustler! The shepherd walks right up to the gate. The gatekeeper opens the gate to him and the sheep recognize his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he gets them all out, he leads them and they follow because they are familiar with his voice. They won’t follow a stranger’s voice but will scatter because they aren’t used to the sound of it. (John 10:1-5) There are character traits we often don't focus on as much as the outward ones we can see - those which make up who we are on the "inside". The "image" we portray is made up of both the external and internal traits. Character traits are more than skin deep and those which matter the most are those that are often barely visible, but most often have to be "felt" in order to be appreciated fully. Many...

Scattered sheep are often not even aware of their aimless wandering, striving to find that next patch of grass to satisfy their insatiable hunger, or their endless pursuit of what is just around the next bend. It is that endless pursuit and aimless striving that gets them into trouble every time! Did you ever stop to consider why sheep need a shepherd? It is simply because they are followers! They go where the one in front of them goes, regardless of what could be in the area. The shepherd knows the areas where the sheep can become easy prey for those who would seek to make a meal out of them! He knows they will wander into these areas, but be oblivious to the threats lurking all around them. The shepherd of our lives knows the exact threats that lurk, the places in life that pose the greatest threats to us, and just how easily we can wind up in those places without even taking notice of where we are at the moment. But he was hurt because of us; he suffered so. Our wrongdoing wounded...

The  Lord  is my shepherd; I have all that I need. He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name. ( Psalm 23:1-3   NLT ) What does a shepherd do? How is it he goes about his daily work? Isn't his whole purpose in life to watch over the flock he shepherds? As he "watches over", doesn't this entail an unwavering commitment to focus on their needs, often above his own? When is it the shepherd is "on duty"? Isn't it all the time? Isn't the shepherd "on duty" when the sheep are not as "focused" on their surroundings? I think maybe the shepherd has the hardest job, for his work never ends, his vigilance can never cease, and his provision must always be renewed. We have all that we need - not always all we want. For many a child (and even an adult or two I know), this concept of want and need get a little confused. We want a lo...

Shepherds and sheep have long been a part of the Christmas story.  Our nativity scenes include at least one of each and our cards, songs, and stories of Christmas reflect the importance of the angels heralding the birth of the Savior out in the fields that night so long ago.  I am always encouraged to read through scripture and notice how many times God incorporate the stories of "ordinary" people, not just the rich, famous, or powerful.  Yes, we have stories of great kings and conquering armies.  We have stories of some pretty nasty ones, as well.  The stories which seem to have some of the richest meaning are those which are recorded about the "common guys and gals", though.  Think about the story of Sarah and Abraham - a struggling couple, just hoping one day to be blessed with a child, then somehow realizing they are past their "prime" and it may never happen for them.  The story of Naomi and Ruth come to mind, picturing a devoted daughter-in-law ...

Imagine just minding your business one long night out on the pasture, listening for the telltale signs of a predator approaching in the brush, just looking for a moment to creep in unaware - then out of nowhere, the sky is lit up, the appearance of angels is everywhere among your herd of little sheep.  What would your reaction be?  If you were the shepherds of old on that night outside of Bethlehem, your reaction would have been one of absolute "terror". In a moment, their world changed.  The "common" among men were visited by the heavenly realm!  No wonder they were overwhelmed with fear!  A thing like this just did not happen to "everyday men" just minding their business in the fields, did it?  Maybe it was an illusion?  Perhaps the evening stew was tainted with some bacteria and was playing tricks on their minds?  As their imaginations ran wild with the possibilities of "how" this was happening, the angels spoke the "why" as clearly ...

We hear a lot of voices today - each representing some "cause" for which they are willing to "go public" with.  Some are reasonable and seem to catch our attention simply because what they present seems logical and straight-forward.  Other voices are not as forth-coming in their motives - they simply manipulate the crowds with their message until they have them to the place we might call "biting on the bait".  Our mailboxes are inundated with this request for "charitable contribution" one right after another.  When we hear a voice calling, do we recognize its source?  Jesus was most concerned with this when he gave his disciples this instruction: Let me set this before you as plainly as I can. If a person climbs over or through the fence of a sheep pen instead of going through the gate, you know he's up to no good—a sheep rustler! The shepherd walks right up to the gate. The gatekeeper opens the gate to him and the sheep recognize his voice...

1-5  "Let me set this before you as plainly as I can. If a person climbs over or through the fence of a sheep pen instead of going through the gate, you know he's up to no good—a sheep rustler! The shepherd walks right up to the gate. The gatekeeper opens the gate to him and the sheep recognize his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he gets them all out, he leads them and they follow because they are familiar with his voice. They won't follow a stranger's voice but will scatter because they aren't used to the sound of it." (John 10:1-5) We don't see too many sheep around my neck of the woods, but whenever I see them in the fields, grazing just prior to "lambing" season, I love to stop for a few minutes to watch them.  The ranchers have a few fields they bring them to just at that time, and those fields are usually rich with some type of crop that has been recently harvested.  The sheep appear to be eating the remainin...