The Plumbline

We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations. (Charles R. Swindoll) What is impossible for people is possible with God. (Luke 18:27) We all have our 'impossible moments' - times when what we desire to happen seem way too far out of reach and nowhere close to being within our means or power to achieve. When the rich young ruler came to Jesus with the question, "Teacher, what good deeds must I do to achieve eternal life?", reporting all he had done already, believing there must be something else he had to 'do', Jesus gave him one instruction. He had kept the commandments. He wanted to 'be perfect'. So, the instruction - go and sell what you have, giving the money to the poor. I imagine if the rich young ruler had suspected this would be required of him, he'd have never posed the question! There are times we bring a dilemma of faith to Jesus, only to find the answer might rankle our will just a b...

Day by day the Lord takes care of the innocent, and they will receive an inheritance that lasts forever. They will not be disgraced in hard times; even in famine they will have more than enough. (Psalm 37:18-19) The Lord's care isn't to be taken for granted. Day by day, moment by moment, he is right there with all we need. We might forget just how 'privileged' we are as children of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, but we should never take that blessing for granted. Hard times will come - we can be assured of that as history has a tendency to repeat itself, just in a kind of new facade. Whatever we face, he is there. We need not worry nor fret. According to "This vs That", fretting is a milder form of worry, carrying just a little 'lighter' emotional investment. (https://thisvsthat.io/fret-vs-worry) When we feel a little uneasiness about a situation, that is what some refer to as fretting (or sweating the small stuff). When that emotion gets us h...

Billy Graham left us with this thought: "When wealth is lost, nothing is lost; when health is lost, something is lost; when character is lost, all is lost." So many people put more trust in what they have amassed on this earth than they do on what will be their fate in the afterlife. Wealth can be lost in the blink of an eye, but with enough tenacity and hard work, one can 'make back' some of this physical wealth. Health might rob us of our dignity, strength, and even our humor, but it never fully robs us of what we have stored up in the way of memories. Character, on the other hand, carries a heavy loss. Families, friends, fame, and sometimes even faith can be crushed when someone falls into 'ill-repute'. There are no high walls of safety in this world until we enter into the walls of our Savior's arms! The rich think of their wealth as a strong defense; they imagine it to be a high wall of safety. Haughtiness goes before destruction; humility precedes h...

 Then I heard the Lord asking, “Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?” I said, “Here I am. Send me.” (Isaiah 6:6) Who should I send... Those words speak volumes in terms of God seeking individuals he may use for his purposes on this earth. Some will be spokesmen; others will lead with courage in the midst of battle. A few will be called to take leadership of others who seek him will all their heart. Yet, the vast majority of us will simply be called to lead our everyday, ordinary lives, with conviction, passion, and purpose - being positive examples of God's grace to a hurting world. Our "call" may not seem significant in the eyes of the 'mighty' or 'famous', but it is backed by his power, so let the world watch as we fulfill it! Here I am...send me... The heart must be willing to be sent - to acknowledge and accept his desires as supreme over our own comfort. Yet not every 'calling' of the Lord is 'uncomfortable...

When we were controlled by our old nature, sinful desires were at work within us, and the law aroused these evil desires that produced a harvest of sinful deeds, resulting in death. But now we have been released from the law, for we died to it and are no longer captive to its power. Now we can serve God, not in the old way of obeying the letter of the law, but in the new way of living in the Spirit. (Romans 7:5-6) When we were controlled by our old nature... We cannot deny the fact that the 'old man' needed a change that wasn't forthcoming until Christ took over our lives. ...sinful desires were at work within us... While we might have done some 'good things' while the old man was in control, we also made a habit of being just a little too self-focused, selfish on more than one occasion, and likely just a bit too prideful about doing 'good things'. We might even have bragged or called attention to ourselves for being 'good' people. ...and the Law aro...

Yet, my brothers, I do not consider myself to have “arrived”, spiritually, nor do I consider myself already perfect. But I keep going on, grasping ever more firmly that purpose for which Christ grasped me. My brothers, I do not consider myself to have fully grasped it even now. But I do concentrate on this: I leave the past behind and with hands outstretched to whatever lies ahead I go straight for the goal—my reward the honor of being called by God in Christ. (Philippians 3:14) It probably comes as no surprise to some of us that goals get set and then somewhere down the line, they get 'unset' or 'unrecognized'. Some will have been too lofty or unrealistic, so we set smaller ones. Others will simply have been reliant upon someone else to do their part and since they didn't, we had to abandon them. Either way, the goals didn't end in the results we had hoped for. What do we do when what we had planned doesn't work out as we expected it to in the end? We migh...

Faith is the bird that feels the light when the dawn is still dark. (Rabindranath Tagore) Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see. (Hebrews 11:1) Way back when I was in Bible College, I was asked to present a paper on the topic, "What is faith?" Now, less you think I might have received a good grade on that paper, I would like to report I received a great big "C" on that work. Passing, but lacking. What I came to discover as "lacking" in that paper was anything of substance from my own experience. It was 'theologically sound', but it lacked anything that actually described the effects of faith, the resulting change faith brings, or any such 'experiential' component of faith. Faith IS more than just a theological 'thing' that is needed for a man or woman to enter into relationship with God. Faith IS more than a hope of something more - it is the very thing that helps us to walk out thi...

I cannot help but recall the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson as he penned, "All I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator for all I have not seen." When scientists try to explain the creation without the inclusion of a Creator, it is hard for me to understand that way of thinking. The greatness, power, glory, and majesty of the Creator are displayed in brilliance in all he has created - the universe, this earth, our bodies, and even our souls. We might not understand how God made all of this out of a formless void - bringing life from within the darkness of that void - but his power is way beyond our understanding anyway! Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. Everything in the heavens and on earth is yours, O Lord, and this is your kingdom. We adore you as the one who is over all things. (I Chronicles 29:11) God isn't going to create and then leave his creation to figure it all out on their own. He is right here, overseeing a...

The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God. God has made the wisdom of this world look foolish. Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe. (I Corinthians 1:18, 20-21) Human wisdom only goes so far. Divine wisdom gets beneath the surface to see the crux or intention of that which is being considered. If God had relied upon human wisdom to share the message of hope that is inherent in the cross and resurrection of Christ, we'd still be trying to analyze it and find ways to poke holes in the 'theory' of the cross. Oh, wait...we ARE still debating the validity of Jesus' birth, death, and resurrection, aren't we? Human minds will never be able to comprehend the fully divine side of Jesus coming to this earth, taking on human form, and then being the perfect sacrifice fo...

OUR strength is often what we call willpower or the desire to act one way when the other is the choice we make most often. The truth be told, our ability or talent is way too over-estimated, and our strength is way too small. Proverbs 24:10 reminds us, "If you fail under pressure, your strength is too small." Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding. He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:28-31) God's strength is for the weary and the weak. Not sure if I should admit this or not, but that is me! It is not for those who hav...

You need not be afraid of sudden disaster or the destruction that comes upon the wicked, for the Lord is your security. He will keep your foot from being caught in a trap. (Proverbs 3:25-26) As report after report shines light on some fraud, abuse, or disastrous plan that had been hatched, we might just find ourselves feeling a little overwhelmed by the fear that these reports have a way of creating within the hearts of millions these days. We might feel more than a little angst as to whether we will receive our regular income from our job or retirement funds. We could be wondering how we will be able to afford necessary healthcare if this plan or that one folds. We might even be feeling a little dread over what comes next on the agenda of whoever holds the power of the day. We must never lose sight of one thing - God is still in control, even when we don't see his hand, it is still directing the course of our lives. God's 'advice' to us is to stop being afraid. He wil...

Never let loyalty and kindness leave you! Tie them around your neck as a reminder. Write them deep within your heart. Then you will find favor with both God and people, and you will earn a good reputation. (Proverbs 3:3-4) Loyalty and kindness are certainly not the things we see 'delivered' today in so many interactions with others, are they? We find a lot of backstabbing in politics, many rumors flying about the lives and choices of various celebs, and just plain bad manners on our highways and byways at times. Is it possible our culture has forgotten these two 'hallmarks' of "ONE NATION UNDER GOD"? Write them deep within your heart. Perhaps this is where our departure from simple kindness and unyielding loyalty began - we neglected to hide God's word deep within our hearts. Favor with God took backseat to favor with others. Favor with others seems to only be important if they can 'do' something for us. We forgot that our neighbor is our friend...

Ronald Reagan reminded us, "We are never defeated unless we give up on God." So many times, we announce that we are 'defeated' in one sense or another, not realizing that our real problem is that we 'gave up' on something God told us to hold onto. We actually give up on him because the road got a bit too bumpy, or the issues got a little tougher to handle than we wanted to deal with. The real issue is that we aren't the ones dealing with those issues - he is - we just couldn't wait to see how he'd handle them! Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. (Proverbs 3:5-6) Whenever we seek to understand things through what our own mind interprets, we are missing what only our spirit can understand. The ways of God are very often beyond what our mind can comprehend - we need the Spirit of God, working on our spirit, to help us understand fully what...

Faith is a living, daring confidence in God's grace, so sure and certain that a man could stake his life on it a thousand times. (Martin Luther) Luther also told us to 'pray and let God worry'. Maybe one of the hardest things for us to come to appreciate is how much we like to worry and really don't take that worry to God until we are all 'worried out'. Jesus reminds us, "So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today." (Matthew 6:31-34) Faith is a living, daring confidence in God's grace - not in our own ability or intelligence. It isn't about what we CAN do as much as it is ab...

Anyone who meets a testing challenge head-on and manages to stick it out is mighty fortunate. For such persons loyally in love with God, the reward is life and more life. (James 1:12) A little earlier in this chapter, we are told that 'if we don't know what you're doing, pray to the Father' and perhaps this is the best advice we could have when it relates to facing 'testing challenges' in life. There are far more times we face those challenges without a clear plan on how to 'handle' the challenge. We want to make it through unscathed, but we know that a whole bunch of stuff is about to be unleashed, and we are in for a whopper of a 'beat down' if we don't get some clarity quickly. At that moment, we can meet it head-on, but to do so without God's perspective on the matter would be sheer foolishness. The testing challenge may be what reveals to us just how deep our loyalty is to God. It is where the rubber meets the road in our faith walk,...

 Seek good and not evil— and live! You talk about God, the God-of-the-Angel-Armies, being your best friend. Well, live like it, and maybe it will happen. Hate evil and love good, then work it out in the public square (Amos 514-15) What we seek we frequently find. I have put things away so carefully in a cleaning spree only to find i cannot find them when I really need them! That results in a whole lot of seeking that really wasn't all that necessary. I should have remembered where it was, having been the one to put it there. We don't know all the things God has put somewhere with the intention of us finding them, do we? He puts them specifically where he shows us to seek for them. All we need to do is seek! If we knew what he had prepared, would we hesitate to seek? Not likely. We'd seek with all our heart and soul. God has prepared a deep and meaningful relationship with him, yet we seem to struggle with putting forth the effort to find that depth. We might get closer to f...

Perhaps one of your new year's resolutions was to worry less and trust God more. If you made that one, you are definitely not alone. It is human nature to worry over things - what to do, where to go, who to see, when it will be done, and on we worry. The more we worry, the less we trust - the more we cast that worry on Jesus, the less it will consume our every thought, plan, and action! Don’t be troubled. Trust in God, and trust in me. (John 14:1) The 'command' is pretty specific - DON'T BE TROUBLED. I imagine God emphasizing that one to us, so I made it all caps! The troubles of this world are so many and seem to mount with each passing day. It almost seems we barely get past yesterday's troubles before new ones are on the horizon. When our eyes are on the troubles we observe around us, we cannot see the glory God has laid out for us. His watchful eye sees far better than ours ever do, so maybe it is time to do as he says and stop being 'troubled' over thi...

 Fear can be a trap, but if you trust in the Lord, you will be safe. (Proverbs 29:25) If you have ever been "trapped" by fear, you know just how debilitating it can become. It almost imprisons you. You can barely take a step forward because it paralyzes you. It sends you down roads you never wanted to travel. As one fearful choice leads to another, you are trapped in a downward spiral. As long as that remains your focus, your path will always be DOWNWARD. Notice that fear CAN be a trap, but it doesn't have to be one! What fear does is redirect our focus off of God and his goodness by placing all our focus on the issue or the perception we begin to entertain in our minds. Most of what we fear is made up of a conglomerate of emotions to either a perceived or real threat. Fear saps our energies and sends our emotions into a real tizzy. Trusting in God requires a redirection of our focus. Downward is never God's location. He always moves us upward. Wherever our focus rema...

Come, let us bow down and worship him! Let us kneel before the Lord who made us. He is our God, and we are the people he cares for,  his sheep that walk by his side . (Psalm 95:6-7) We have been looking into the life of Noah, a man known for his obedience to God and one who stands out for us as a man of 'great faith'. "Noah was warned by God about things that he could not yet see. But he had faith and respect for God, so he built a large boat to save his family. With his faith, Noah showed that the world was wrong. And he became one of those who are made right with God through faith ." (Hebrews 11:7) We might not feel our faith is all that 'great' at times, but if God asked us to do something kind of 'way out there', would we believe it possible God would guide us throughout the task? If we did believe that way, we'd take the steps toward ultimate obedience into all that God asks of us because we'd be assured of his plans, even when we don...

If you found yourself in the belly of a whale, do you suspect you'd be kind of glad to be free from that 'chamber of horror'? The account of Jonah continues with the fish 'vomiting' him up onto dry land. Do you know how close to dry land a whale can actually get? It usually isn't right up to the shoreline, is it? When God does miracles to redeem us from the folly of our rebellion and sin, don't be surprised when he does things completely outside of the realm of 'normal'! Then the Lord spoke to Jonah again and said,  “Go to that big city Nineveh, and say what I tell you.” So Jonah obeyed the Lord and went to Nineveh. It was a very large city. A person had to walk for three days to travel through it. Jonah went to the center of the city and began speaking to the people. He said, “After 40 days, Nineveh will be destroyed!” (Jonah 3:1-4) The call was difficult enough, but the 'journey' to actually act upon that call was likely more difficult than...