The Plumbline

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...