The Plumbline

Wisdom is the right use of knowledge. To know is not to be wise. Many men know a great deal, and are all the greater fools for it. There is no fool so great a fool as a knowing fool. But to know how to use knowledge is to have wisdom. (Charles Spurgeon) Wise words bring many benefits, and hard work brings rewards. (Proverbs 12:14) The right use of knowledge - wouldn't that go a long, long way where it applies to the words we speak about another? Gossip has a way of dragging others down - it also has a way of taking you right along with it! The wise learn the 'advantage' of guarding well the words they share - especially when they are words that may paint another in a bad light or bring another into some knowledge of the other person's character that they really had no right to know. Wisdom is the right use of knowledge - to apply wisdom to both the words we speak and the words we listen to about others is truly a 'learned art'. The 'art' is learned at...

There are still a few of those 'high end' candy shops in the local malls that deliver all the delight of a richly made confection. For years, mom's favorite chocolate has been See's chocolate. She would always delight in getting the nuts and chews variety, although she doesn't do well with the nuts anymore, so she has 'converted' to the chews! If you have ever experienced the chocolates from a high end confectioner's establishment, you know this is good chocolate and the caramels are rich, as well. . It is not like buying a pre-wrapped candy bar at the grocery store. I really am not a connoisseur of chocolate - a plain chocolate bar from the grocer is fine for me! Yet, it really does not compare to the richness of the "finer" chocolates you find at the store in the mall. Some words we speak or hear are kind of like the pre-wrapped bar of chocolate - some go down easy, but they lack the "smoothness and taste" of the wise! Listeni...

What is the cost of a leaky faucet? When those washers are worn and the thing just doesn't shut off correctly, allowing it to drip what appears to be nothing more than small drips of water - how much do those drips actually end us costing us? If you are like my dad was, not very much - because as soon as there was any sign of dripping, he break out the toolbox and go to work to replace the seals again. If you are like most other people, you might find it costs you a bit more - because you wait until it annoys you enough to do something about it! Leaky faucets eventually get our attention - especially once you see how much the leak increases with time. There is a tremendous amount of waste in what a leaky faucet can cost us in the course of time. The tongue can be like a leaky faucet at times - first with only small 'leaks', but eventually when the tongue is left 'unchecked' for too long, the 'leak' gets to be pretty annoying and causes a whole lot of damage....