The Plumbline

Don’t let the excitement of youth cause you to forget your Creator. Honor him in your youth before you grow old and say, “Life is not pleasant anymore.” (Ecclesiastes 12:1 NLT) Remember him - this whole chapter is riddled with those two words. Before our eyes fail, our legs become wobbly, or our hair fades to grey - remember him. While there is yet time, remember him. We might need that reminder this morning - to take time out of the busy day we have ahead and just remember his goodness, grace, and love. That should spark a note of gratitude from deep within our souls, bringing praise to our lips and worship from our spirit. The excitement of youth might just be the things that come into our days, filling them to capacity and sometimes beyond it. We make plans, set out to execute them, taken on more plans, and set things in motion to see those through. All the while, we forgot to take time to execute the most important plan of our day - remembering him. In this moment, if that is you, ...

In considering events in the lives of those who have known fame and fortune, we also must consider just how fame and fortune has left them wanting so much more than it ever promised or provided. Fame and fortune are elusive - they keep those who pursue either of them running toward them as if under their spell. They are also disappointing - leaving those who finally "achieve" their end wanting more, but not really satisfied with what they have! Sound familiar to anyone other than me? Wanting more that what we have, chasing what seems to have us under some "spell" or external "control"? We may not be pursuing fame in the sense of the movie stars, but we may be pursuing something with as much tenacity - something which will not truly bring us any satisfaction once attained. A thick bankroll is no help when life falls apart, but a principled life can stand up to the worst. (Proverbs 11:4) Life WILL fall apart at some point. Whatever we place our trust in...