The Plumbline

Nobody who ever gave his best regretted it. (George Halas) So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you. (Romans 12:1-2) Do we live with regrets? Yes, sadly, many of us do live with regrets - things we wished we would have said, done, or pursued. There is no place for regrets in this walk with Jesus, though. Jesus doesn't 'set us up' for regrets - he sets us up for victory. We may fail t...

If we are to look at the life of King David, we will observe how he reminds us no king succeeds by his own doing. Big armies and lots of loyal servants does not make one successful - indeed, it gives an "appearance" of success, but it is nothing compared to the glory of being anointed by the Most High God. It is noteworthy to mention how many times he points out the futility of thinking a warrior's strength is his own. This is often a struggle for us because we see our "strength" as something we possess, but in truth it is something we are "granted". David lays out the silliness of thinking having more "horsepower" or "brute strength" will win battles. When we "count on" the wrong stuff, we often don't really "win" the battles - sometimes we don't even make it through them at all! Watch this: God's eye is on those who respect him, the ones who are looking for his love. He's ready to come to the...

Man is so made that when anything fires his soul, impossibilities vanish. (Jean de La Fontaine) Imagine all the impossibilities you envision before you today and then begin to see them vanishing right before your eyes. That huge pile of laundry that awaits your attention - poof, gone. The gigantic undertaking of cleaning out all the closets and drawers where everything just seems to get jumbled - poof, done. The deadline looming for this tough project at work - poof, finished. Impossibilities - we all seem to have them and we all seem to view them just a bit differently, don't we? How we 'view' our impossibilities actually is a result of the condition of our soul - where it is we have placed our trust to overcome those staggering hurdles in front of us. For no word from God will ever fail. (Luke 1:37) Imagine being barren - unable to bear a child in a culture where children were the crown upon a father's head and the delight of every mother. Imagine the turmoil deep w...

If you have had the impression that the battle you see raging around you is bigger than anyone really knows, you are probably closer to the truth than you might think! The battle we 'see' with the naked eye is one thing. The one being fought in the minds and hearts of men is another. The one being fought in the heavenlies is yet another! The battle rages - the surface has likely only been scratched, and there you stand in the midst of it trying to make sense out of what you can see and feel. What we can see and feel are only part of the issues at hand - there is a much deeper 'point' of warfare that we just won't be able to see or feel, but it exists and is at work all around us right now. Our fight is not against people on earth. We are fighting against the rulers and authorities and the powers of this world’s darkness. We are fighting against the spiritual powers of evil in the heavenly places. That is why you need to get God’s full armor. Then on the day of evi...

Eva Gabor said, " Love is a game two can play and both can win. " Yes, love is something both can "win" at, but it takes some losing on your part to realize every one of your "wins" , doesn't it? It is a little give and take - you are not always on the "longest end of the stick" in relationship.  Sometimes you draw the short straw!  I think the game of life might just be summed up with the words of a popular Christian contemporary song, "Grace wins every time!"  Matthew West's song, "Grace Wins", although much longer than these words, resonates in my heart this morning.  The words which come so clearly into my mind are these:  " There's a war between guilt and grace and they're fighting for a sacred space; but I'm living proof grace wins every time . "  If you have put your faith and trust in the work of Christ in your life, you may also echo these words today! Put Your marvelous love on di...