The Plumbline

  Then the Pharisees met together to plot how to trap Jesus into saying something for which he could be arrested.   They sent some of their disciples, along with the supporters of Herod, to meet with him. “Teacher,” they said, “we know how honest you are. You teach the way of God truthfully. You are impartial and don’t play favorites.  (Matthew 22:15-16) While the Pharisees attempted to find "cause" to kill Jesus, the words they use to describe his actions, and his discipline are truly amazing. They note his unwavering commitment to be honest in all his dealings, impartial in his decisions, and still remain steadfast to his teaching even in the face of opposition. Would that the same could be said about all of us! Integrity matters. When the moment comes and those who aren't following Jesus approach you, will they see the same level of commitment and integrity? That's a tough question that must be answered honestly by each of us. Will the truth we live by be evident e...

If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved. As the Scriptures tell us, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.” (Romans 10:9-11) If you openly declare - that pretty much leaves out that we can be a Christian and nobody knows we are, doesn't it? Those who serve Christ, who have welcomed them into their lives, and given him control of their hearts will reveal evidence of that faith. Belief doesn't just end with a personal experience with Jesus. It continues into our everyday living - touching lives around us with that 'experience' and with the testimony of what Jesus has done in our lives. For it is by believing in your heart (mind, will, and emotions all in agreement) that you are made right with God. Salvation is more than 'fire insurance' agai...

Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God. (Matthew 3:8) As a kid, we'd often find a friend boasting about something they had seen or reported to be able to do, so we'd challenge them with 'prove it' dares. We wanted evidence that what they said was actually to be trusted. It is not uncommon to ask for someone to prove something we find just too difficult to believe, or that we have a 'block' toward receiving, isn't it? We seek evidence in order to 'validate' the claim. Is it any wonder John the Baptist would challenge those who made claims to be 'believers' to 'prove' their faith by the way they lived? I think it is a fair thing to request - to see evidence that our life is more than just a set of rules without the substance of a changed inner character. Prove by the way you live - that pretty much sums it up, doesn't it? If we want others to trust our statement of faith, they have a right t...

When you do good, you stop ignorant people from saying foolish things about you. This is what God wants. Live like free people, but don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do evil. Live as those who are serving God. (I Peter 2:15-16) Have you ever wanted to stop someone from spreading bad things about you or someone else? It is only natural to not want someone's 'dirty laundry' aired in front of others, isn't it? As some would say, they hope to 'control the narrative' when it comes to what gets shared about how they live their lives. I would say it is much better to have the right 'narrative' than to attempt to control a wrong one! Truth be told, ignorant people go around telling things about other people that would be best left unsaid in the first place. Whatever we do, we want our 'doing' to be honoring of Christ - when it is, we have nothing to worry about when it comes to the 'narrative' of our lives. The narrative will be written in ...

So do you think we should continue sinning so that God will give us more and more grace? Of course not! Our old sinful life ended. It’s dead. So how can we continue living in sin? Did you forget that all of us became part of Christ Jesus when we were baptized? In our baptism we shared in his death. So when we were baptized, we were buried with Christ and took part in his death. And just as Christ was raised from death by the wonderful power of the Father, so we can now live a new life. (Romans 6:1-4) If you haven't realized it yet, we do 'continue to sin' even after we say yes to Jesus. There is still a struggle with temptation. We don't just magically 'stop sinning' - we must deal with the urges to do what is wrong when we know what is right. Good news is that we don't do it alone! We have Christ in us to help us with that very real struggle. Did you ever wonder what purpose water baptism plays in a person's life? If we are honest, some of us may have ...

What can I offer the Lord for all he has done for me? I will lift up the cup of salvation and praise the Lord’s name for saving me. I will keep my promises to the Lord in the presence of all his people. (Psalm 116:12-14) We all have those moments when we want to offer something to God, but whatever it is we seem to come up with just doesn't seem like enough. God doesn't ask much from us - he gives us so very much, but he asks little in return (or so it seems). If you have ever tried to keep your promises that you have made to God, you might have discovered it can be a little harder than you first thought! As our psalmist points out, there are a few things we can 'offer the Lord'. If you have also tried to share your faith with another, you are doing one of the things he outlines. The testimony God gives us is actually a 'gift' we can share with others. That hope he places deep within our heart and the sense of freedom he brings into our lives is not easily co...

So they took Jesus away. Carrying the cross by himself, he went to the place called Place of the Skull (in Hebrew, Golgotha). There they nailed him to the cross. Two others were crucified with him, one on either side, with Jesus between them. And Pilate posted a sign on the cross that read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” The place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek, so that many people could read it. Then the leading priests objected and said to Pilate, “Change it from ‘The King of the Jews’ to ‘He said, I am King of the Jews.’” Pilate replied, “No, what I have written, I have written.” (John 19:16-22) No matter how hard Pilate tried to release Jesus from the bonds his accusers had placed him in, they objected vehemently, completely determined that Jesus would die that day before the sun went down. Pilate had listened to Jesus' testimony, heard him tell him he was "born and came into the world to testi...

What does the cross-examination of your life reveal about the "rock-solid" or "a little too shaky to admit" testimony of your life? Whenever someone wants to build a case 'for' or 'against' you, they begin with something they call 'discovery'. There is a 'looking into' the life and events to see what really comes forward while 'looking'. A trial always begins with what they have come to term "opening arguments" - the laying out of the case from each person's perspective (prosecution and defense) in such a way that those 'on trial' are given a hint about what will be presented. It is often quite telling that something is about to become apparent, but it usually isn't all laid out in infinite detail in the 'opening argument'. There is much to be brought forward and that takes on a whole lot of 'asking' and 'telling'. The first speech in a court case is always convincing—until t...

I was watching a show last night in which a physician was asked to be an 'expert witness' in a malpractice case. As healthcare providers, physicians and nurses are often called upon to give 'expert testimony' as to the practice exhibited by another provider during the care of a patient that didn't quite go as expected. If you are called upon to be the expert witness on behalf of the one being tried, you are there to give testimony to the evidence of the care being provided in a reliable manner - it met the standards of care. If you are called upon to be the expert witness against the one being tried, you are expected to bring out errors in judgment that led to the 'bad outcome' of the patient. It is clear from these examples, we can be a 'witness' on either 'side' of the issue - it depends on who's side we 'side with'! 'I am Jesus, the One you're hunting down like an animal. But now, up on your feet—I have a job for you. I...

“But he knows where I am and what I’ve done. He can cross-examine me all he wants, and I’ll pass the test with honors. I’ve followed him closely, my feet in his footprints, not once swerving from his way. I’ve obeyed every word he’s spoken, and not just obeyed his advice—I’ve  treasured  it. ( Job 23:10-11   MSG ) I wonder if this will be our testimony - that we didn't waver in our walk, we kept step with him, not choosing our own way instead? Could it be that it would be said of us that we did more than obey 'his advice', but that we treated each and every word he has spoken as that which we treasure and give that right place in our lives? This is indeed a testimony I think all of his disciples really hope will become theirs, but many times we don't even believe this is possible! Look at what Job recounts for us. He begins with God and ends with himself. All we can hope for is that we really get that right - we begin with God and let self take a backseat to his d...

It is God’s will that your good lives should silence those who foolishly condemn the Gospel without knowing what it can do for them, having never experienced its power. You are free from the law, but that doesn’t mean you are free to do wrong. Live as those who are free to do only God’s will at all times. ( 1 Peter 2:15-16   TLB ) Lives that can actually shut down the foolish accusations of the unwise - the truth we portray in our everyday choices is more powerful than we might just imagine!  We are to live in such a manner so as to silence the condemnation of the fool by the way we live, not so much with the words we are able to speak in rebuttal to his accusation. It may seem hard to imagine, but the example we set is oftentimes more important than studying to have "all the right words". It may not come as a surprise to anyone, but there were years when I was studying to "have the right words" - always ready to give an answer. I studied books on apologetic re...

Basic principles - you see many charter schools starting up all over the place touting they are getting back to the basics of reading, writing, and arithmetic. The basics are essential in order to have a good foundation upon which to build.  So many schools today have gone in all directions, forgetting the basics or somehow "reinventing" them so they are "new".  Let me just warn us against reinventing any of the basics God expects us to have built into our lives - this is just not sound business!  There are "basic essentials" we all need to have "worked into" our lives in order to have a good foundation in times of trial and temptation - without these, we are subject to all manner of deception and disobedience. Repeat these basic essentials over and over to God’s people. Warn them before God against pious nitpicking, which chips away at the faith. It just wears everyone out. Concentrate on doing your best for God, work you won’t be ashamed...

What were you raised on?  For some of us, we remember the good and wholesome nights of family games, story-telling, and an Sunday drives after church.  Others might remember being raised with a strong emphasis on competitive sports, cheering on your favorite teams with gusto while regaled in the team colors.  Still others may have lived a little more introverted and remember long, lazy days reading ravenously, being carried away into the world of imagination and dreams.  What we "were raised on" becomes the foundation of what it is we "pass on" in this life.  I imagine we all have our memories of how we were raised and what it was which seemed to be of "value" to the family we were raised in.  Yet, I also am aware some may not have had much in the way of "family life" and those memories are a little clouded or almost negative - so this "family life" in Christ is made a little more difficult, as a result.   You’ve been raised on the...

As we have studied scripture before, I have often reminded of the importance of the simple words such as "and" or "but".  Today's passage has one of those "buts" in it - the thing which has been proposed or said ahead of this simple little word makes a huge difference.  So, we cannot skip over the simple words if we are to get the entirety of the meat from the passage.  To set the stage, we see Peter writing this letter to believers - it wasn't written to those who had no faith in Christ, but rather those who had embraced the finished work of Christ on their behalf.  As he begins the letter, he challenges believers to begin to live a life of holiness - set apart from their former ways of doing things (especially as it applies to their past religious performance).  There will be tough times - of this he assures us - BUT these tough times don't need to destroy or defeat us - we should allow them to define us.  As the chosen ones of God, we are d...

Have you ever been beaten before you even started?  I imagine the people of Jericho felt a little like that.  They looked out, seeing a vast army of God's people, having heard of God's interventions on behalf of this people.  Evidence of their fear was in them shutting their gates so tightly - none coming or going.  Why?  Because of the people of Israel.  Imagine that - the "testimony" of what God had done through this people had made its way into their town. Faced as they were by their armies, they could not help but respond to what they saw and heard.  This is the power of a testimony - living it out in real life.   Jericho was shut up tight as a drum because of the People of Israel: no one going in, no one coming out.   God  spoke to Joshua, “Look sharp now. I’ve already given Jericho to you, along with its king and its crack troops. Here’s what you are to do: March around the city, all your soldiers. Circle the city once. Repeat...

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...

I wonder how many of us could agree with this equation: Trouble = Training Most of us equate "training" to the efforts we put forth to AVOID trouble - such as when we work out at the gym or take regular walks in order to keep our hearts healthy and avoid heart disease.  Very few of us will actually equate the present "trouble" we might be experiencing as a way of "training" either our minds, bodies, or spirits.   God is educating you; that’s why you must never drop out. He’s treating you as dear children. This trouble you’re in isn’t punishment; it’s  training , the normal experience of children. Only irresponsible parents leave children to fend for themselves. Would you prefer an irresponsible God? We respect our own parents for training and not spoiling us, so why not embrace God’s training so we can truly  live ? While we were children, our parents did what  seemed  best to them. But God is doing what  is  best for us, training us to l...

Chosen:  the action of selection, often as a means of indicating preference for a specific object chosen.  Most of the time, we go through life making all kinds of choices without much thought - simply because things have become so familiar to us, we just do it by habit.  We reach for the salt or pepper at the table simply because we have done this for years.  We drive a particular path to work without much thought to the winding path, sometimes not even aware of the things we pass by simply because they are so familiar to us because of the sheer frequency of the path we travel.  We gravitate to the same place at the table, in the living room furniture, etc. - it is "our" space.  We have indicated a "preference" for a certain route, spot, or type of activity - it is now our method of conducting our affairs. 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 spe...

In today's electronic age, we seldom resort to "snail mail" as a means of keeping in touch with others in our lives.  I am quite guilty of this myself.  It is not that I have lost the ability to write a letter, place a stamp on it, and walk it to the mailbox.  It is the "immediacy" of email and instant messaging which makes it all the more appealing to me.  In the past, the "news" we'd share about changes in our lives would come via the postal service, arriving to the recipient days after the "news" was indeed "news".  In the military, we had mail call.  It was a time when we'd all gather around in hopes of one link to home in the form of a small envelope filled with "news" and maybe even a little token of love.  In turn, our loved ones would hurry to the mailbox when they'd see the familiar mailman's truck passing by.  We all want to know the "news" of another's life. Does it sound like we...

Most of us have never experienced the type of persecution which lands us in jail for our testimony of Christ.  In fact, many of my readers actually luxuriate each day in our "comfort" of living in a country which promotes religious freedom.  Over recent months, I have observed the largest percentage of my readers shifting from the US and Canada to some of the countries where religious freedom may not be as available - such as Russia, Slovania, Indonesia, India, and Saudi Arabia.  In fact, the most "hits" have come from Russia over the past 60 days.  I can only praise God for the expansive audience the internet allows!   A few days later Felix and his wife, Drusilla, who was Jewish, sent for Paul and listened to him talk about a life of believing in Jesus Christ. As Paul continued to insist on right relations with God and his people, about a life of moral discipline and the coming Judgment, Felix felt things getting a little too close for comfort and dismissed ...