The Plumbline

But you are the ones chosen by God, chosen for the high calling of priestly work, chosen to be a holy people, God’s instruments to do his work and speak out for him, to tell others of the night-and-day difference he made for you—from nothing to something, from rejected to accepted. (I Peter 1:9-10) Do we really understand that whatever we have is given to us by God? We might be rich or successful, but those riches and all that success comes from God enabling us to gain the riches and accomplish the tasks that have made us successful. It is quite easy to get a bit too prideful about what we have or what we have gained, but we must never cease to give God the glory, remembering to use what we have been given for Him. All we are, all we own, all we can do is a result of his goodness and grace in our lives. We are chosen to be a holy people - God's hands and feet to a hurting world. Now more than ever, we need God's protection over our country, his guidance over our leadership, an...

The people of Nineveh listened, and trusted God. They proclaimed a citywide fast and dressed in burlap to show their repentance. Everyone did it — rich and poor, famous and obscure, leaders and followers. (Jonah 3:5) An unpopular message, delivered by an unwilling messenger, after a hard struggle to get to the point of obedience. How many times are we called by God, equipped by him, and then we find we question the 'thing' he would have us do? Perhaps more than some of us might like to willingly admit. Have you ever wondered if your life could ever make an impact? Perhaps you have listened to people in your past or present who repeatedly belittled you - making any hope of making any difference a thing we consider to be out of reach for us. Maybe you have tried to make an impact - venturing into one area or another, only to have run into brick walls and resistant forces - making you question if the 'thing' you felt compelled to do was really him telling you to do it. I...