The Plumbline

I mean that you have been saved by grace because you believed. You did not save yourselves; it was a gift from God. You are not saved by the things you have done, so there is nothing to boast about. God has made us what we are. In Christ Jesus, God made us new people so that we would spend our lives doing the good things he had already planned for us to do. (Ephesians 2:8-10) "Rough diamonds may sometimes be mistaken for worthless pebbles." (Thomas Browne) Worthless pebbles are sometimes kicked underfoot, tossed aside, or left unnoticed. Would it surprise you to know that is you took one of those 'worthless pebbles' to a jeweler and had him see what he sees within the stone, he might reveal something quite different than what you might have seen in it? In much the same manner, Jesus beholds each of us, rough, ragged, kind of beat up by life, nothing too much to look upon, but within each of us he sees a thing of extreme beauty and value.  God has made us who we are - ...

Be sincere in your love for others. Hate everything that is evil and hold tight to everything that is good. Love each other as brothers and sisters and honor others more than you do yourself. (Romans 12:9-10) God desires a way of living that is "outside" or beyond our selfishness - the tendency we had before we said "yes" to Christ which kept us totally self-directed in our focus. Be sincere in your love for others. Sincerity is the idea of being free of hypocrisy. If you have ever caught yourself saying one thing, but thinking another, you might be dealing with this thing called hypocrisy - the tendency to be ingenuine or unreal. Neither of these traits are what God wants for us in relationships - first with him, then with others. He strives for us to be genuine or real. We are to be genuine in our love for each other, by hating evil, holding tight to what is good, treating one another as brothers and sisters, and giving honor to each other more than we focus on s...

Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us . And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:35-39) Although we are weak - we are strong. Even though we are limited in both our understanding and our power - we stand all powerful, able to tap into the greatest wisdom eve...

Rough diamonds may sometimes be mistaken for worthless pebbles. (Thomas Browne) Many of us have dealt with or continue to deal with some manner of 'self-worth', feeling somehow that our 'worth' is really not all that great at times. It might be because we have been told that for so long that we just believe what we are told. I was watching a reality show about Alaska 'bush people' yesterday and what caught my attention was the repeated statement a young man made that basically said if a stupid guy like me can learn this stuff, anyone can. Why do you think he kept referring to himself as stupid or dumb? It is probably because somewhere down the line, he has heard it repeatedly and come to believe it as truth about himself. The 'worth' we have is really never determined by human opinion - it is a God determined fact! But God’s mercy is great, and he loved us very much. Though we were spiritually dead because of the things we did against God, he gave us new...

God blesses everyone who has wisdom and common sense. Wisdom is worth more than silver; it makes you much richer than gold. Wisdom is more valuable than precious jewels; nothing you want compares with her. (Proverbs 3:13-15) Wisdom, worship, and worth - could wisdom lead to worship, worship to worth? Wisdom is really application of the knowledge we have already received. It is when we finally make the connection between the "how-to" and the "let's get 'er done". Worship is simply a matter of heartfelt dedication and directed thought, action, and emotion toward another. Our attention is to be directed toward none other than God - perhaps because he has shown us how to make the connection and we are finally 'getting 'er done'. Worth is sometimes the hardest thing for us to get hold of because we have all kinds of things running around in our minds about "worth" that aren't actually 'truth-based'. The term "worth...

Three words we oftentimes use without really considering their meaning - status, esteem, and value. Status: The social or professional position, condition, or standing to which varying degrees of responsibility, privilege, and esteem are attached. Esteem: Regard highly or favorably, with respect or admiration; to consider as of a certain value. Value: Worth, merit, or importance; to consider with respect to worth, excellence, usefulness, or importance. We place "value" on certain things, don't we? In considering someone, or something, we determine some "importance" or "degree of excellence" which we will "assign" to the individual or object. Sometimes the individual or object is held in a higher, or lower, esteem based on the value we "assign". In turn, we often equate "position" or "standing" based on our determination of "assigned value". It is not unlikely that we have even assigned "valu...

What someone is willing to pay for something is what some say determines the 'worth' of the object being bought. I just observed a discussion of a woodworker on social media who crafted a raised dog dish holder from wood, painted it, and then put it up for sale on the social media feed. He was surprised at how much people were willing to pay for the newly crafted item. He found there are a whole lot of people out there very willing to pay for their doggies to have a nice place to dine! He already has thirty orders for more! Now, I am sure he put the doggy dish up at a reasonable price, but the demand for the item outweighed his investment of time, talent, and creativity. I imagine he will be able to create a little 'market' for these items in no time at all because people are willing to pay the price for their dogs. If we are willing to pay a price for the comfort of our animals, I wonder why it is we don't fully appreciate the price God has paid to see our lives se...

The very next time you question your worth or value on this earth, or to anyone for that matter, consider Psalm 8.  It will put a whole different framework to your thinking!  God didn't look down upon "humankind" as insignificant or of "little worth".  Instead, he created all things, placing "humankind" in a place higher than any other created thing.  It never implies throughout scripture that any one man or woman is at a "higher level" than the other - all are of equal worth simply because that is exactly how God made each and every one of us! When I gaze to the skies and meditate on Your creation— on the moon, stars, and all You have made, I can’t help but wonder why You care about mortals— sons and daughters of men— specks of dust floating about the cosmos.  But You placed the son of man just beneath God  and honored him like royalty, crowning him with glory and honor.  You ordained him to govern the works of Your hands,  to nurture t...

Valued vs. worthless - there are many factors which determine each.  One of the things you may not know is the origin of the word "value".  In terms of accounting, a coin was minted with a certain weight - this weight giving it the "value".  For example, if it was a brass coin weighing one-half ounce, it had a value, but not as significant as a coin minted from gold weighing the same.  Since coins were kept in pouches and circulated in payment for goods purchased, they would lose a little of their original weight because in the process of being circulated, they "wore down".  In time, the original value of the coin was not the present value.  You know, there are a lot of things in life I have considered to be of such high value at one time or another, only to find out as I look back on them now they just don't hold the same value to me anymore.  Whether it was the job I worked, the position I held, or the things I "owned", they just don't...

All over the world people are hoping to hit the big winnings of the lottery or some contest.  They faithfully march to the local establishments selling the tickets in order to make their "weekly investment" into the "big ticket".  Some play the same numbers week after week, determined it will be THEIR week this week.  Forbes magazine published an article November 28, 2012 entitled "Why Winning Powerball Won't Make You Happy" written by Susan Adams.  In the article, she cites multiple studies which point out the IMMEDIATE high or exuberance of winning, but the quick return to a low point within just a short point in time.  Why?  She concluded that "while winning the lottery can make a difference, it won't affect the other conditions of your life".  This is so true! We can "bet" on the windfall, or we can count on the certainty of what God provides.  The choice seems pretty simple to me, but obviously there are a whole lot of oth...

Did you ever stop to think about angels stopping to take notice of each and every word of praise and thanks you utter into the heavenlies?  Well, scripture bears witness to the fact they do (Psalm 138:1).  I never really thought about it before - the fact others are listening to my praise.  When I do, it makes me a little self-conscious at first, but then I realize they are just stopping to listen because these words of praise and thanksgiving are just a sweet, sweet melody in the ears of those who occupy heavenly realms - God includes his angels in that company!  The most "telling" part of praise and thanksgiving is being able to really "tell" God what it is you are grateful for - specifically and purposefully.  In the case of our psalmist, his purpose for his words of praise are quite specific:   The moment I called out, you stepped in;  you made my life large with strength .  (vs. 3)  He had laid his heart bare before God, seeking his int...

Good guidance comes sometimes through the quietest voices.  If you have ever listened to the loudest voice, you might just have realized the loudest is not always the clearest!  It just got your attention!  As we have been studying our way through the Book of Proverbs over the past couple of days, we have discovered there is good advice which awaits those with hearing ears and a responsive heart - but it is not always the loudest voice we hear!  The instructions of a father's heart are of value to us in making us ready for what life sends our way.  We are reminded - follow them and you will live; learn from them, and you may not have to experience everything for yourself; love the, for wise words will guide us when times of trial come our way.   Dear friend, take my advice;   it will add years to your life.   I’m writing out clear directions to Wisdom Way,   I’m drawing a map to Righteous Road.   I don’t want you ending up in blind all...

Wisdom, worship, and worth - our "W" List of character traits.  Wisdom is really application of knowledge we have received.  It is when we connect the "how-to" with the "get it done".  Worship is simply a matter of heartfelt dedication and directed thought, action, and emotion toward another.  In this case, our attention is to be directed toward none other than God.  Worth is sometimes the hardest thing for us to get hold of because we have all kinds of things running around in our minds about "worth".  In days gone by, the term "worth" was really attributed to the value of a coin.  As a lump of silver or gold or bronze was fashioned into a coin, it was given a "worth" based on its weight.  The more it circulated, the less its worth.  Why?  It wore down.  So, instead of the "worth" being consistent, it was diminished by its use.  Sometimes I think this is where we find ourselves today - we feel diminished by how we h...

In conversation today, you might hear words such as accountability and responsibility.  Newscasters speculate about who will be held accountable for certain actions.  Others postulate about what responsibility some aspect of society had for the actions of another.  Yet so many times, there is very little reference to the actions of one being called into account simply on their own merit.  We see shooters destroy innocent lives - then blame the lack of gun control as the "responsible" party.  When "breaking down" the influencing factors in the shooter's life, we gravitate toward what the parents did or didn't do, who should have recognized the mental health issues apparent in the shooter's life, etc.  We rarely gravitate to the place of saying this man or woman was totally accountable for their own actions.  Why?  Society today seems to want to "share" accountability and responsibility for the actions of individuals - not because they want to ...

Status:  The social or professional position, condition, or standing to which varying degrees of responsibility, privilege, and esteem are attached.   Esteem:  Regard highly or favorably, with respect or admiration; to consider as of a certain value. Value:  Worth, merit, or importance; to consider with respect to worth, excellence, usefulness, or importance. We place "value" on certain things, don't we?  In considering someone, or something, we determine some "importance" or "degree of excellence" which we will "assign" to the individual or object.  Sometimes the individual or object then is held in a higher, or lower, esteem based on the value we "assign".  In turn, we often equate "position" or "standing" based on our determination of "assigned value".  It is not unlikely that we have even assigned "value" to certain actions of others, and even ourselves.  We often do this without muc...

Mom and I went to the local Sam's Club yesterday.  It was an unplanned trip, but we needed things for the house, so we took advantage of the time.  The only drawback - we had put mom's hair up in rollers earlier and they were not ready to come out!  So, as creatively as possible, we tied a silk scarf around those prickly things and off we went!  We chuckled all the way to the store!  Mom commented about not running into anyone she knew and I just laughed!  Ninety-three years young and she still worries about her appearance!  You go girl!  Mom had always taught me to leave the house "presentable".  This does not mean I always dress up, but I don't go out in my PJs or with hair askew!  Silly, isn't it, how much we focus on the external as our "view" of being presentable? 19-21 So, friends, we can now—without hesitation—walk right up to God, into "the Holy Place." Jesus has cleared the way by the blood of his sacrifice, acting as our prie...