The Plumbline

5  Knowing what is right is like deep water in the heart;    a wise person draws from the well within.  (Proverbs 20:5 The Message) 5  Counsel in the heart of man is like water in a deep well, but a man of understanding draws it out. (Proverbs 20:5 The Amplified Bible) The digger of a well knows that once water is "hit", he may have to go a little deeper to get a "full-flow" of water.  The best is often hidden the deepest.  The well within is something that must be "tapped" in order to be of benefit to the one who needs its refreshment.  The deeper the well, the fresher the water.  The deeper we "tap into" Jesus, the fresher the source will be of all that we need in dry times. Dry times are as assured as is the fact that life will one day be over for all of us.  We experience the dryness for lots of reasons - but all have the same end in mind - that we might "tap into" Jesus just a little deeper.  To really understand wha...

5  Knowing what is right is like deep water in the heart;    a wise person draws from the well within.  (Proverbs 20:5) Knowing what is right and actually doing it are two entirely different things.  I know that it is right to drive the speed limit, but when I see all the other cars going 5-10 mph over the speed limit, it is much easier to "go with the flow" than to be dragging behind with cars swerving all around me.  When faced with a choice between what is right and what is clearly wrong, I should not be amazed at how freely we embrace the latter!  It is a common occurrence for us - it is part of our nature to choose the "wrong stuff", even when the "right stuff" is right there for the choosing. How do we know what is right?  Too many times, we rely upon our experience to help us determine what is "right" in a circumstance.  For instance, if we have experienced the pain of a throbbing thumb after crushing it under the blow of a ham...

5  Knowing what is right is like deep water in the heart;    a wise person draws from the well within.  (Proverbs 20:5) There is a tendency to "over-think" things today.  We "work" a solution until it is what some call "fool-proof" and then we might take the steps to put it into action.  I find that I am more spontaneous than that - I like to try something before the idea has a chance to grow mold!  Most of the time, I come out all right.  There are occasional flops, but for the most part, the "spontaneous" solution was just as good as the "fool-proof" plan. Now, don't get me wrong - there is a time for planning and not every half-baked idea is a good one!  I am no fool.  There is a well that lies deep within that we each can draw from when we need an immediate solution to a problem life deals us.  Whenever we take the steps to do exactly what God has reminded us to do in his Word, we are creating a deeper well to draw from....