The Plumbline

Out of the stump of David’s family will grow a shoot— yes, a new Branch bearing fruit from the old root. And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. He will delight in obeying the Lord. He will not judge by appearance nor make a decision based on hearsay. He will give justice to the poor and make fair decisions for the exploited. The earth will shake at the force of his word, and one breath from his mouth will destroy the wicked. He will wear righteousness like a belt and truth like an undergarment. (Isaiah 11:1-5) Jesus took great delight in obeying his Father, just as we should take similar delight in obedience. Upon his shoulder rested great wisdom and understanding - the same wisdom and understanding we can access by simply seeking him. One of the neatest things we see as we read the record of Jesus' time...

Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else. (Ephesians 2:1-3) None of us is able to argue that we are 'without sin', though some will say they are 'good people', their 'goodness' is not going to stand up in the presence of God's holiness. Obedience is always toward a 'force' of some kind. We can be obedient to the force of nature - looking at the warning signs of impending storm and sheltering against it. We could be obedient to the law of the land - driving the speed limit, paying our taxes on time, and not trespassing on private land. We also can be obe...

Know how to listen, and you will profit even from those who talk badly. (Plutarch) You might think you are a very religious person. But if your tongue is out of control, you are fooling yourself. Your careless talk makes your offerings to God worthless. (James 1:26) I cannot help but think of the times I have droned on and on with someone about a topic I have such interest in, only to realize they have not been listening because I am the only one interested in the topic! I have had to learn to 'read the crowd', so to speak, and listen more than I speak. It was not an easy lesson to learn, but a necessary one, especially as it pertains to sharing the truth of the gospel message. I used to think I needed to preach a sermon, but then realized my life was speaking louder than my words. Know how to listen - this is our instruction today. The tongue can wag on and on, making it hard to really 'hear' what is being said. The more 'words' we use, the more we think others...

And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will. (Romans 8:26-27) Do you always know how to pray for whatever the need is that is set before you? There are times a friend will ask me to pray with them, but they aren't specific about their need. At other times, I know I 'need' something to change, be different inside me, or transpire, but I have no clear idea what that should be. When those times of prayer become 'difficult' because we 'don't know', it is time to trust the Spirit of God within us to lift our need to God's ears. Scripture says God even knows the meaning of our groans and sighs, so is it too hard to believe he would give us assistance in our prayers? Prayer is pr...

Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will. (Romans 8:5-7) There are philosophies out there that propose 'positive thinking' is all we need to overcome even the worst of things going on around or within us. The truth of the matter is that humans can 'think positively' all they want, but as long as the mind hasn't been surrendered to Christ, negative thoughts will continue to emerge, as will negative actions. It is more than a 'mind game' that we play - it is a difference in who is in control of our minds! Let the Spirit of God control your mind and you will soon begin to understand the power of God's presence in y...

Desire:  Those things we long for or crave; the hope for satisfaction of some sort.  I think we would all admit to the fact of having desires - some are quite innocent, while others give us a little bit of a challenge in life.  Some desires are easily fulfilled, while others will be the things we chase after repeatedly and find no satisfaction in ever obtaining.  What we forget is the "hold" desires place on us as we pursue whatever it is which becomes the object of our attention (focus).  It is almost impossible to have a desire and then not to want to "go after it" with some form of passionate pursuit.  In the evenings, I will look over at mom and see her pondering something.  I know this usually means she is thinking about what might be in the house which she can "nibble on" for a wee snack to tide her over till bedtime.  She isn't really all that hungry because we had a good dinner - she just wants something crunchy, chewy, or sweet to satisf...

I want us to look at three separate verses today - each carrying a little bit of this vs. that.  In other words, if we act a certain way, this is our reward; act the other way and your reward will be quite different.  Outcome is often determined by the things we set in motion at the beginning of the course - but not always. It is possible to turn an outcome around, even when you are already well down the path toward a certain outcome.  For example, I can determine I want to build a fire.  When I do, I set out to find some kindling - small pieces of dry leaves and wood to be the thing which will catch fire quickly when exposed to the source of fire.  Then I will find other wood for the fire, in varying sizes because some will need to catch quickly and others will sustain the fire a lot longer.  I can stack all of this so carefully, making a nice little mound in the middle of a pit I dig for the fire.  If I don't have anything to ignite the fire in the ...

Weakness is viewed in a different ways by different people.  Some will criticize the weakness of another, seeing it as a way of "copping-out" in life - not really doing what one needs to do, but succumbing to the pressure to quit.  Others might see weakness as a sign of not caring - as though the weakness kept the individual from extending themselves.  Many will see weakness as a kind of feebleness or the type of trait exhibited when one is just plain not strong enough for the task at hand.  I know there have been many a jar of pickles which challenged my "strength" in my days, but even though I might have been too "weak" to open them on my own, enough force from a solid rap on the edges of the lid and I accomplished the task!  So, weakness doesn't always have to mean we don't have the "strength" to do something - it might mean we get creative about how we accomplish it!  This might be where we get into trouble in our lives, because when...

A coward is someone who lacks courage.  When faced with danger or uncertainty, the response of the coward is to shy away or even run from it.  Where there is difficulty or opposition, something we can be faced with nearly everyday, the coward will turn attempt to hide from it.  Pain is too much for the coward and he is easily intimidated by even the smallest of stuff - fearing failure, he won't even begin!  So, why am I so interested in the coward?  Simply because I don't want us for even one moment to think of ourselves as cowards - for if God's Spirit dwells within you, there is no reason for a coward's response to life's dangers, uncertainties, difficulties, oppositions, or pain! God’s Spirit doesn’t make cowards out of us. The Spirit gives us power, love, and self-control. (2 Timothy 1:7 CEV) God's Spirit doesn't make cowards out of us - our own thoughts and beliefs do!  By the past responses we have had to circumstances beyond our control, or...