The Plumbline

Sophocles reminded us: "Quick decisions are unsafe decisions." I have made my share of those 'impromptu' decisions, only to regret the aftermath of not having taken more time to think things through. How about you? Deciding without knowing all the facts can lead to unforeseen consequences. Ever turn the wrong way thinking you were going to take a shortcut somewhere only to find yourself smack-dab in the middle of a traffic jam? The bad decision not only made you late, but it gave you unwanted stress and anxiety as you crept along in all that traffic. While that may not have been what some may label as an 'unsafe' decision, it might have been 'unsafe' in the terms of what it did to your reputation by being late, or in how it affected the others who were waiting on your arrival in terms of their worry, lost work time, or frustrations. As I have said on more than one occasion, our decisions - good or bad - affect not only us, but all those around us. Prid...

Why would you ever complain, O Jacob, or whine, Israel, saying, “God has lost track of me. He doesn’t care what happens to me”? Don’t you know anything? Haven’t you been listening? God doesn’t come and go. God lasts. He’s Creator of all you can see or imagine. He doesn’t get tired out, doesn’t pause to catch his breath. And he knows everything, inside and out. He energizes those who get tired, gives fresh strength to dropouts. For even young people tire and drop out, young folk in their prime stumble and fall. But those who wait upon God get fresh strength. They spread their wings and soar like eagles, they run and don’t get tired, they walk and don’t lag behind. (Isaiah 40:27-31) Complaining that God seems to be looking the other way when you need his attention right now? Do you think he has abandoned you to some state of misery or woe that you won't be able to overcome? We all have been there at least once, and if we were honest, we'd admit we come to this place a little too ...

Don’t overlook the obvious here, friends. With God, one day is as good as a thousand years, a thousand years as a day. God isn’t late with his promise as some measure lateness. He is restraining himself on account of you, holding back the End because he doesn’t want anyone lost. He’s giving everyone space and time to change. ( Peter 3:9) How do you measure lateness? I remember being all ready to have my daughter walk down the aisle and realizing the groom and his best man were far from ready. I didn't realize his interpretation of 'on time' was different from mine. We waited until he was, obviously - because he is a great guy and he makes my daughter happy! I had to learn to 'chill' a bit because when we said the wedding would be at 'x' time, I just expected it would be at 'x' time. "X" can be one thing to us and quite another thing to God, as well. If you have ever had to 'wait on his timing', you realize quickly that our 'mis-...

To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible. (Thomas Aquinas) Faith is somewhat of a hard concept for many of us to understand because it is 'elusive' and kind of linked quite closely to 'hope'. As a matter of fact, some would define faith as hope - the believe something will happen in a particular way or at a specific time. Take faith to mean there is a great confidence in something or someone and you are pretty close to what most people define as faith, but there are others that will assure you it is belief in something or someone that is not always based upon proof. They will ask if I can prove there is a God and I have to ask them if they can prove there is not a God of the universe. Even the belief there is no God is faith is something or someone other than God - such as self, the 'mystical' force that must be with you, or the like. Faith isn't a 'thing' - it is a commitment of heart and mi...

God did not keep His own Son for Himself but gave Him for us all. Then with His Son, will He not give us all things? (Romans 8:32) Do you have anyone in your life who always hesitates to ask God for things they really, really want? Are you that person? There are times when I think we all hesitate a little to 'ask' God for things because we think we are not supposed to bother him with these piddly concerns, or that they are too 'secular' for us to be asking God for them. The truth of the matter is that everything in our life matters to God - even if all we want is the right size tire for our vehicle to be on sale when we next need to replace them. God isn't going to reject our requests because they are 'too secular'. He wants us to use our common sense with things like purchasing new tires, but he also doesn't get put off by us asking him to help us find the best deal around. Nothing is too 'out there' or 'out of bounds' for us to ask him....

I have to ask this question, mostly because I have to ask it of myself from time to time, but how many times do you actually need help with something, but refuse to ask for it? We all have times when we feel ready to face the world head on, then in a moment's flash of time, our brains begin to ask the question, "Who's gonna go with me?" "Will there be anyone there to help me if I go this direction?"  We falter for just a moment or two as we realize if we go it alone, we are a sitting duck and may quickly realize we are not well prepared for the things we will encounter. If we have someone at our side, we are less likely to have to share the brunt of anything "negative" or "too hard for one person" on our own. The opposite is also true - when we are accompanied on our journey offering a helping hand along the way, we share the joy and glory with the one accompanying us! We all need someone to be there from time to time with just the rig...

Wait for the  Lord ’s help. Be strong and brave, and wait for the  Lord ’s help. ( Psalm 27:14   ERV ) We've discussed this before, but I don't like to wait. The time it takes to "wait" in line, or for slow traffic to clear while others in front of me gawk at a fender bender is almost unbearable to me. Why is it so hard to wait - because it is not very "productive" time! It wasn't until I was well into my adult years (and I mean "well into") that I began to realize there might actually be a purpose in waiting when it is waiting on the right stuff.  Waiting for the Lord's help is one of those "right things" I need to be able to do. In fact, when I choose to wait on his help in my life, I realize something I actually need - strength and courage! Strength for the long haul and courage to face whatever the next challenge is that is just around the bend. Strength comes as we wait - not in us charging ahead under our own power or d...

There have certainly been times when I have questioned God about why it is I don't have my "heart's desire" - how about you?  Try as we might, we just cannot figure out why there is a delay in seeing the desire of our hearts come to fulfillment.  We question the delay, doubt our faithfulness, and begin to worry they might never be fulfilled.  If we just hold onto the one passage of scripture which says all we need to do is to do what the Lord wants and he will give us the desires of our heart, then we wonder if we are doing what we are supposed to be doing.  Before long, we begin to wonder if we have some kind of "barrier" to seeing our heart's desire fulfilled - like sin hidden deep within our hearts, wrong motives, or the like.  If we really want to discover the truth about the "long wait", we have to take it to God and trust him to reveal the purpose. Trust the Lord and live right!  The land will be yours, and you will be safe. Do wha...