The Plumbline

  Depend on  God  and keep at it because in the  Lord   God  you have a sure thing. (Isaiah 26:4) I depend on my vehicle to get me places I want to go. I depend upon my washing machine to clean my clothes. I depend on my light switch to bring illumination to the room when I switch it on. There are tons of things you and I depend upon each and every day - some of them without even knowing we are depending upon them. My power went out this week, not once, but twice. That meant no air conditioning, no light, and no water dispensed in the refrigerator door. I am aware I have disclosed my dependence upon a few luxuries here, but trust me on this one - in Arizona you want air conditioning, you need water, and when it is dark outside, it is going to be even darker inside! The latest power outage was for several hours and in the middle of the day. We probably all count on this 'sure thing' called electricity to be flowing through those underground lines to our home...

And now just as you trusted Christ to save you, trust him, too, for each day’s problems; live in vital union with him. Let your roots grow down into him and draw up nourishment from him. See that you go on growing in the Lord, and become strong and vigorous in the truth you were taught. Let your lives overflow with joy and thanksgiving for all he has done. ( Colossians 2:6-7   TLB ) A moment of honesty here. There are times when I trust others to do as they say, but when they take too long, or aren't doing it the way I'd like it done, I sometimes intervene! Why? I've got a little bit of a "control" issue on occasion - most of the time it is "in check", but on occasion, it creeps out! God help me that it doesn't "creep out" where it comes to him doing things in my life, though! I don't want to "intervene" where he is moving, although his timing may not be my own, nor may his ways of accomplishing things always be the way I ...

Indeed, when you were still in the womb, I was taking care of you.    And when you are old, I will still be there,  carrying you .   When your  limbs grow tired, your eyes are weak, a nd  your hair a silvery gray, I will carry you  as I always have.   I will carry you and save you.  (Isaiah 46:3-4 VOICE) There are times in life when what we see started in our lives just don't seem to be coming to fruition. It seems as though progress "stalls out". As with any process change, the movement from one point to another can start with great strides, but in a course of time, the gains seem to get smaller and smaller. Why? We are nearing the completion of the change! It isn't that God has stopped working in us - it is that we are about to be transitioned into a different "change" focus. In fact, once change is deemed to be complete in one area, it doesn't mean we just coast - it means we ready ourselves for the next phase! I am confident that the...

Some of us might equate dependence to some "mamby-pamby" way of living in which we cannot do or think anything on our own.  On the contrary, dependence requires more thought and determination than you might first imagine.  What some consider to be dependence is nothing more than passive complacency and apathy.  What God considers to be dependence is actually a place of active submission and obedience.  Obedience requires forethought and continuous thought - passive complacency does not.  Obedience requires trust and truth - passive complacency is satisfied with the status quo or the easiest route possible.  This life of truly trusting God and living in total dependence upon him is something which requires active thought, leading to active participation, and ending in active renewal.  The key to dependence is then "action", not passivity. God, you give true peace  to people who depend on you,  to those who trust in you. So trust the...

Depend:  To rely, place trust; to be sure of.  We depend upon a lot of things, don't we?  We depend on getting to work on time just because we were on the road by our "usual" time today.  The hazards along the way may provide a later arrival than anticipated, but we still depended upon getting there on time because we did our part.  We depend upon our laundry detergent to remove the stains in our clothing, despite the fact the stains are set in and rather stubborn ones at that.  When the detergent doesn't "perform" as anticipated, we buy a different type the next time because we have to "depend" upon the detergent to do its job.  We get into trouble when our dependence upon something or someone is stronger than our dependence upon God.  I am not saying we should depend on God to get the stains out of our jeans, but he is pretty awesome at getting stains out of our "genes"! Cursed is the strong one   who depends on mere humans, w ho thin...

There are times in life when we just need a little "carrying".  The journey gets a little rough - too hard to handle alone.  We get fatigued.  Sometimes we just need a break because the battle has been long and hard - that moment of solitude when we just sit back and let the worries of the battle pass from us.  Regardless of the reason for needing to be "carried", there are times when we just cannot go it alone. God  is all strength for his people,  ample refuge for his chosen leader; s ave your people  and bless your heritage.   Care for them;  carry them like a good shepherd.  (Psalm 28:8-9 MSG) I find encouragement in this passage today.  The "unchanging" GOD is ALL strength for his people, AMPLE refuge for his chosen, SAVIOR of his people, and the one who BLESSES his heritage.  In him, we find CARE and the arms to be CARRIED for a while.  The one who's promises never fail has us in his care.  The one who is co...

Whenever we are holding onto something, or someone, for dear life, we are using a whole lot of effort to hold onto it, as if our very life depended upon not letting go.  In some cases, we are the ones doing the "holding" - simply because we are desperate to not let go.  At others, someone or something else is holding onto us - because to let go would be to experience loss of some kind.  None of us likes to experience loss - no matter how well we are prepared.  Loss is often equated with being "deprived" of something you once had, such as when we mourn the loss of an individual in our lives.  It can also mean an accidental loss of something, much like misplacing something we once were so careful to have been aware of.  Either way, the loss causes us some type of sense of "urgency" and "grief".  Loss is somehow equated with letting go - either consciously, or unconsciously. “If you’ll hold on to me for dear life,” says  God ,   “I’ll get you ...

As we consider our passage today, I wanted to share a couple of verses which came just ahead of our passage.  First, David 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.  Second, he points out the futility of thinking a warrior's strength is his own.  This is often a struggle for us because we see out "strength" as something we possess - instead, it is something we are "granted".  Last, he 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! 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 their rescue in bad times;  in lean...

Several years ago, a TV program began to make the "impossible" a possibility for those with unrecognized talent. American Idol became the most talked about program, featuring men and women with amazing talent, pitting once against another, until America "voted" the best of the best to the top of the heap.  Many of today's "idols" are followed by society, given a place of prominence, and rise to levels of unbelievable importance - yet their rise to popularity is not without the challenges of "stardom".  There are struggles with the competition the next "idol" presents, the unexpected demands of what such a quick rise to popularity places on both home and personal life, etc.  When I look at those who rise to such places of "importance" in society, I wonder if they really will endure the tests of time.  Today's passage deals with the very often missed fact - God is not impressed by what man sees as impressive!  In fact, ...

 Don't ever deprive me of truth, not ever— your commandments are what I depend on.   Oh, I'll guard with my life what you've revealed to me,  guard it now, guard it ever; a nd I'll stride freely through wide open spaces  as I look for your truth and your wisdom; t hen I'll tell the world what I find,  speak out boldly in public, unembarrassed.    I cherish your commandments—oh, how I love them— relishing every fragment of your counsel. (Psalm 119:43-48 The Message) Have you ever been deprived of something you depend on?  I remember wrestling with my brother as a kid.  He is 11 years older, so it was never really a "fair" wrestling match!  He'd pin me down with his full body weight, tickling me to tears, and I would find myself laughing so hard that'd I almost felt like I'd lose my breath at any moment.  I'd wriggle harder, trying to escape his clutch.  He'd just tickle more!   I used to think this was like bei...

  4-6  When they hear what you have to say,  God , all earth's kings will say "Thank you."  They'll sing of what you've done: "How great the glory of  God !"  And here's why:  God , high above, sees far below; no matter the distance, he knows everything about us.    7-8  When I walk into the thick of trouble,  keep me alive in the angry turmoil.  With one hand  strike my foes, w ith your other hand  save me.   Finish what you started in me,  God . Your love is eternal—don't quit on me now. (Psalm 138:4-8) David had a special way of telling us about how God interacts with is children.  This psalm is just another example of what David had come to know about the Lord he served.  Imagine all kinds of this earth proclaiming that God is great and that his glory is high above all other!  David must have been speaking prophetically here, because we sure have not see...