The Plumbline

Deal with your pain or it will deal with you. We have to actually 'process' our pain if we are to ever get beyond our pain. Pain comes in many forms - physical, emotional, relational, and even spiritual. We cannot ignore pain, but we try to push it down over and over again rather than taking it to God or seeking help for it. We hope that ignoring it will help us somehow, but it just brings repeated torment to us. Distress that drives us to God does that. It turns us around. It gets us back in the way of salvation. We never regret that kind of pain. But those who let distress drive them away from God are full of regrets, end up on a deathbed of regrets. (2 Corinthians 7:10) God's plan is for the pain to drive us closer to him - not further away. When we withdraw from the pain and try to bury it, we are allowing pain to drive us away from God. As much as God wants to be worshipped, he also wants us to be open with him in ALL our needs. Every weakness we have, he stands ready ...

I feel weaker and weaker as I wait for you to save me.    But I put my trust in your word. (Psalm 119:81 ERV) Have you ever just wondered why God makes us wait for something? Why is it the thing we so desperately desire or "require" seems to take so long to come to fruition in our lives? We don't always understand God's timing, nor do we appreciate it fully! We think, "You are all-powerful, God, so why don't you just do this right now?" We want to understand what he is waiting for - and we may be surprised it is for us to become just a little weaker. If God gave us everything at our strongest and most determined part of our lives, do you think we'd learn to trust him? Probably not! As we become weaker and weaker, there is something that happens - we begin to lean into God. Don't believe me? Think of the last time you were really "desperate" for God to step in and do something in your life. The more your desperation grew, the weaker...

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...

There are a whole lot of character traits I could choose for my "H" List - things like humility, honor, honesty, hopefulness, and holiness.  Yet, I choose to focus on one character trait today:  Hunger.  You see, if hunger is one of your character traits, humility will follow, honor will be your adornment, honesty will be your way of doing business, hopefulness will spring from your heart, and holiness will be evident in your words and actions.  So, hunger really is an all-encompassing character trait for our "H" List today! You’re blessed when you’ve worked up a good appetite for God. He’s food and drink in the best meal you’ll ever eat.  (Matthew 5:6 MSG) This passage is taken from the Sermon on the Mount.  I'd like to back up a little to get some perspective though.  First, we find Jesus climbing a small mountain or up onto a hillside.  Why?  The crowds were gathering and this gave him position to speak to the vast crowd - his voice wo...

EXPAND:  To increase in extent, size, volume, or scope; to unfold; to express in fuller form or detail; to enlarge.  PUNY:  Of less than normal strength or size; weak; unimportant; insignificant.   Not sure which side of the fence you are on today, but I know I would prefer the "expanded" version of life vs. the "puny" version.  In fact, in examining the steps I have taken over the last year (something I do in the first part of each new year), I can see some steps I have taken to "position" myself for growth in a number of ways in my life.  First and foremost, I find myself enjoying the times I have with my Lord - long or short.  There are times in my day when I just get quiet for a few brief moments - settling my spirit and emotions into the presence of God.  Others don't know about this, but it is what keeps me centered and on task in my life.  If someone comes across me at that moment, they might think I am deep in thought, but in actual...

Probe:  To search into; examine thoroughly; to place under scrutiny.  Some call this being "under the microscope".  As long as someone is only viewing with the "naked eye", what is seen is not always what it appears to be.  But...put the same object under the microscope and you see things hidden from view!  It is like when you thought you dusted well, then the sun comes shining through the window, or you turn on that bright light in the room, and poof - all the dust on the shelves you "missed" is quite apparent!  You just didn't "probe" far enough with the duster!  Yet, you thought you had "cleaned house". Close the book on Evil,  God ,  but publish your mandate for us.   You get us ready for life:  you probe for our soft spots,   you knock off our rough edges.   And I’m feeling so fit, so safe:   made right, kept right.  God in solemn honor does things right,  but his nerves are sandpapered raw.  (Ps...