The Plumbline

We have all these great people around us as examples. Their lives tell us what faith means. So we, too, should run the race that is before us and never quit. We should remove from our lives anything that would slow us down and the sin that so often makes us fall. (Hebrews 12:1) If you stop very long to consider some of the examples you have patterned your life after, you might just decide you fashion sense didn't improve, your financial situation really hasn't done much for you, and your relationship isn't any stronger than it was before. Why? They are 'faulty' patterns at best. We need to understand the importance of the 'pattern' before we just 'willy-nilly' follow it. I used to sew by pattern all of the time, but when I got confident enough, I often set out with the pattern and didn't follow the order of the instructions. That usually resulted in some seam ripping in the end! The importance of having both the pattern and the instructions canno...

We should help others do what is right and build them up in the Lord. (Romans 15:2) Have you ever considered your actions in light of what others see, hear, or feel as a result of those actions? It can be kind of scary at times to see actions through the eyes of others, mostly because it can lead to us being a little too 'comparison oriented' and it can result in some issues with pride on occasion. If we just compare our actions, excluding the heart from the picture, we might think our actions are a little better than another's. We run the risk of elevating our beliefs or actions above theirs - thinking THEY have room for improvement, but we are doing just fine. This is a very dangerous precipice from which to view life! When we set out to live in such a way so as to be a 'help' to others - an example of God's goodness and grace - our heart is in the right place. Yet, it is quite easy to get a little too focused on our own goodness and forget that God's good...

  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 12:2) How many times do we find ourselves going along with the crowd just because we have become so 'well-adjusted to our culture'? We move toward the newest trend, all because we are listening to the voice of the crowd. We take on more debt than we should, all because someone said we couldn't live without something. We might be mo...

The wise counsel God gives when I’m awake is confirmed by my sleeping heart. Day and night I’ll stick with God; I’ve got a good thing going and I’m not letting go. (Psalm 16:8) I have been asked why I am not a bit more 'evangelical'. What is really being asked is why am I not a bit more ardent in my message, or zealous in the presentation of the gospel truth? Why is it I am not 'shouting from the rooftops' the hope that dwells deep within my heart? Why am I not 'out there' more? Truth be told, it isn't about the 'forwardness' or 'religiousness' one exhibits, but the ability for others to see Christ in your life and want what you have. I haven't had too many positive responses to 'hell fire and damnation' sermons - but I have seen others develop an honest hunger for Christ because the 'thing' I have made them more than a little curious how they could have the same thing! I am probably going to step on a few toes today, so h...

Imagine what life would be like if Jesus had avoided the cross - if every 'negative thing' he experienced while on this earth and those three days in the tomb had been something he refused to embrace. What chaos would exist in this world today as our sinful natures just continued to follow whatever felt good to us? If we look at the chaos sin DOES cause today, imagine it multiplied ten, twenty, or even a thousand times over - because without Christ moving in his people, the chaos would be growing at astronomical proportions! Jesus never took the easy way out - he embraced the hard path, the difficulties of being rejected, and the hardships of being misunderstood by some of the most influential and important people of the time. Yet he endured it all - not because it was easy for him - but because he knew it was necessary for us - the ones he loves with an intensity that outweighs any of the hardships he endured. That’s exactly what Jesus did. He didn’t make it easy for himself ...

The pattern makes all the difference when we don't know how to do something and need a little guidance to get the job done. I used to sew my own clothes and clothes for the kids. I used a lot of patterns back in the day. Some were very simply making it very easy to follow along with the completion of the garment. Others were quite hard, requiring a lot more concentration and attention to the details if I was going to get the job done right. I have assembled my share of 'out of the box' furniture - gaining me the privilege of being called upon by my family to always do it now. Why have I become so proficient in the task? Because I made my share of mistakes of NOT following the directions, having to start over again, and now I remember to read the instructions word for word! They are given to guide me in the assembly and to discount them is to allow for error. The Word of God is given as our instruction, but we are also asked to watch God and see what he does - his actions se...

Gonna ask a tough question this morning - how many of us actually live disciplined lives? A disciplined life is characterized by self-control, orderly and prescribed conduct, and exercise in things that produce solid moral character.  Most of us would associate ourselves with some other 'title' than 'disciplined' - especially when we consider all the areas of our lives where discipline may not be exercised. I don't always have a disciplined life with every aspect of my house cleaning, nor my maintenance of flowerbeds. Sometimes I let dust build up, and a few things to get gangling growth before I do anything about it. If we have mastered the art of living disciplined lives, it is usually in some area such as our finances, health, exercise, etc.  The type of discipline that is required to produce a 'spacious life' encompasses these types of 'disciplined living' and much more. An undisciplined, self-willed life is puny; an obedient, God-willed li...

All Scripture is given by God. And all Scripture is useful for teaching and for showing people what is wrong in their lives. It is useful for correcting faults and teaching the right way to live. Using the Scriptures, those who serve God will be prepared and will have everything they need to do every good work. ( 2 Timothy 3:16-17   ERV ) While it is very important to remember all scripture is given to help us correct what is wrong in our lives, it is not to be used to beat people up with. The desire to use scripture to point out the faults of another is not what is intended here. The "pointing out" is really the job of the Holy Spirit - the helping another to learn part is where we come alongside and walk out that learning together. Most of the time, we forget that learning is all about us walking out what we are given instruction to do. Having a hymnal doesn't equate to singing the songs correctly - especially if you don't actually read notes or understand rhy...

James Dobson has been one of the foremost authorities on child-rearing in Christina circles for years. He reminds us, " Children are not casual guests in our home. They have been loaned to us temporarily for the purpose of loving them and instilling a foundation of values on which their future lives will be built. " Each child has the potential to absorb much of what they see and hear - making them similar to sponges just hungry to soak up all that they come in contact with. This might just prove to be the most important reason for us to guard what it is they come into contact with as they are growing up! Fearing the  Lord  is the beginning of moral knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.  Listen, my child, to the instruction from your father,  and do not forsake the teaching from your mother.  For they will be like an elegant garland on your head,  and like pendants around your neck. (Proverbs 1:7-9 NET) Solomon also reminds us to train a ...

Live so that when your children think of fairness, caring, and integrity, they think of you. (H. Jackson Brown, Jr.) How we choose to live our lives affects many more than those in our immediate circle of influence.  Our children, our children's children and their children on down through the generations become the recipients of the example we set in the here and now. A wise man once told me that what we "tolerate" in our lives today will become the foundation for us moving closer and closer to tolerating something just a little worse down the road until one day we are so far from what we once stood for that it is hardly even recognizable anymore. Nothing could be more true. The righteous live with integrity; happy are their children who come after them. (Proverbs 20:7 CEB) I know there were days when my kids were growing up where my "example" slipped a little. I sometimes lost my cool over stuff that really didn't matter all that much. I opted for ...

Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us . ( 1 John 4:11-12   NLT ) It was kind of sobering to me this morning to realize all another may know about Jesus is what they see in me. The example I set, the times my words are judged by my actions, and the moments when God's grace is totally evident in my life may be the only evidence anyone ever gets to experience in this lifetime. That means every moment counts - every word matters - every opportunity to share the grace we have been given is not to be squandered. The evidence of God's love is to be the overshadowing thing another sees when they look upon our lives - for we are the "venue" by which he shares so much about himself! Albert Schweitzer once said that example was not the main thing we use to influence other people - in fact, he said it is the only thi...

When looking for a leader for our country, one of the hallmarks of a great "find" in a leader is this idea of the pursuit of justice - the ability and willingness to adhere to strong ethical and moral principles.  As I look around, listen to TV ads, and get phone surveyed to death, it is quite possible we have veered from this a little in how it is we have come to judge those who will fulfill positions of leadership within our country, companies, or even our community.  The position of leadership in any venue - church, state, or even over a country - should not be pursued with haste, or without careful preparation and what some may call "soul-searching". Why?  Where the leader goes, so goes those they lead.  Whoever pursues justice and treats others with kindness discovers true life marked by integrity and respect.   One wise person can rise against a city of mighty men and cause the citadel they trust to collapse. (Proverbs 21:21-22 VOICE) It is often...

As Jesus neared the time when he would be publicly humiliated, beaten, and then marched to his death on a cross, he also is found drawing near and sharing time with those he had formed relationships with on this earth.  One such occasion was upon his return to Bethany, a town best known by the time of his return because of a pretty spectacular miracle he had performed there - the raising of Lazarus from the dead.  Now, the "fame" of this miracle wasn't because Lazarus was a "big man" in the town government, religious faction, or some type of a "rock star".  He was simply stated to be the brother of Mary and Martha - two loving sisters who were grieving his loss.  In terms of how this would have been treated today, if this man had been "famous" like Elvis Presley, his being raised from the dead would have had people flocking to his burial place and doorstep by the thousands!  He wasn't Elvis, but the "fame" of his miracle was ma...

Example:  One of a number of things, or a part of something, taken show the character of the whole group of things.  The human race is full of "examples" of how it is we are to live, and even a few examples of how it is we should NOT live.  Since scripture points us toward considering our examples - those lives which tell us what faith really means - then it will serve us well to consider a few of those examples.  Frankly, when I look through scripture, I see a whole lot of messed up people - not really perfect people.  I think this is something we need to consider since an example is a representative of the whole group.  These examples recorded for us in scripture are indeed representative of the whole group of us crazy, mixed up, self-focused sinners! We have all these great people around us as examples. Their lives tell us what faith means. So we, too, should run the race that is before us and never quit. We should remove from our lives anything tha...

If you have ever been guilty of making a not so wise decision, you are among the masses!  We all make unwise decisions now and again - it just shouldn't be the regular pattern of our lives!  A decision is a moment or period of time in which we make a determination about one of our doubts or questions we have encountered.  If we think about this a little, every moment of decision is peppered with a little bit of doubt or a question we have to answer.  Go this way or that.  If we go this way, what will be the outcome?  Go that way and will the outcome be vastly or only vaguely different?  A parent's role in life (even those we might call our "spiritual parents") is to guide us into making wise decisions. In essence, they create a culture in which we determine if we will be overcome by our doubts, or tackle the questions which come our way with a great deal of fortitude and determination. My son, it makes me happy when you make a wise decision. It m...

How does love grow?  In the simplest of terms, most would wager to guess it grows through time spent together. To get a little more complicated, we'd venture to say it is  pursuing things important to the other person, considering their wants and needs above your own, and laying down your life for theirs.  Now, most of us would do okay with the first definition - because spending time together is a whole lot easier than this idea of considering another's needs above our own, or being sacrificial in our time, energies, or talents.  Yet, the more closely we allow love to be based on the pursuit of things important to the other person, learning to consider their needs above your own, and giving out of our lives in a sacrificial manner, the closer we are coming to emulating the love Jesus has for his children! I pray that your love will keep on growing and that you will fully know and understand how to make the right choices. Then you will still be pure and innocent...

It is the time of year when students everywhere are graduating from their classes in high schools and universities - intent on making their way in this world.  Speeches will be read, mortar boards will be thrown, and parties will be had.  When it is all said and done, the let down as they enter into this "real world" can be tremendous.  Some will branch out in directions only their minds-eye can fathom, while others will follow the more traditional paths set by those who have gone before them.  The choice about which road to take is established in their hearts as independence begins to bring new opportunities into their path.  In time, they settle into the course they believe is the best for their lives.  I think we ALL have those moments of "graduation" in our lives, when we stand at a crossroads of sorts, choices laid out before us, and then having to choose which one we think will serve us the best.  If we choose well, the road ahead will be naviga...

When I was a young girl in grade school you would have probably called me a "follower" - I went along with the crowd, but was too shy to actually take the lead myself.  Anyone who knows me now would say just the opposite.  In looking back at the difference which Christ made in my life, I would have to say one of the clearest things is this transition from being a "follower" of others.  In fact, if you were to look back, "going along" with the crowd got me into more pickles than I really want to give an accounting of right now!  Trying to win the attention and approval of others, striving to have some degree of "popularity", etc. all ended up in some pretty bad decisions in my life.  You may have been one of the "crowd followers", as well, so you know what I am saying here.  It doesn't pay to follow the crowd - we need good role models to follow, not just popular ones!   Friend, don’t go along with evil. Model the good. The pers...

When you are making your way through a field of landmines, you definitely want to listen for the faint "click" of the detonating trigger if you misstep. You then hope to have the wisdom of another who knows the inner workings of the device to show you how to keep the detonator from engaging when you remove your foot from the device.   There are definitely times when there is a specific need to pay attention - to listen like your life depended on it.  Did you know God gives us a certain amount of common sense to handle some of life's challenging moments, while he expects us to listen intently to his voice as though our live's depended upon it?  Truth is, he doesn't really care too much which can of tomato soup we purchase, but he does care about who we might just run into in the aisle as we are shopping.  Common sense allows us to purchase the can of soup which tastes good, is a reasonable price, and meets our nutritional needs.  His still small voice might just...