The Plumbline

Lewis Carroll reminded us: "If you don't know where you are going, any road will get you there." While we don't always have a 'mapped out' version of life each day, it is always good to be attentive to the direction God would have us take. Obedience in the daily stuff is probably more important than obedience when God asks you to take 'big steps'. The 'ordinary' everyday stuff is hard enough, but when we apply ourselves to 'learning' and 'doing as we learn', we will likely be more ready for the 'big steps'! Wise men and women are always learning, always listening for fresh insights. (Proverbs 18:15) Carroll used to quip that he had already believed as many as six impossible things before he even sat down to breakfast. I cannot agree, for a life with God helps us to imagine the impossible, prepare for it, and then set out to do it! What is your 'impossible' today? Is there more than one? Could it be that the s...

But now, put all these things behind you. No more evil temper or furious rage: no more evil thoughts or words about others, no more evil thoughts or words about God, and no more filthy conversation. Don’t tell each other lies any more, for you have finished with the old man and all he did and have begun life as the new man, who is out to learn what he ought to be, according to the plan of God. (Colossians 3:8-10) The most powerful statement any of us can remember is: "You have finished with the old man and all he did and have begun life as the new man, who is out to learn what he ought to be..." Sometimes it feels like the 'old man' is still in control, giving into our tempers, not so God-honoring thoughts, gossip, and all kinds of ill-advised schemes. It would do us well to rehearse these words over and over again, especially when the 'old man' side of us wants to take control. Reminding ourselves that we have 'finished with the old man' isn't ju...

Anyone who rebukes a mocker will get an insult in return. Anyone who corrects the wicked will get hurt. So don’t bother correcting mockers; they will only hate you. But correct the wise, and they will love you. (Proverbs 9:7-9) Men have many responses to rebuke, don't they? Some will scoff and say you are wrong about them. Others will argue vehemently that you have made wrong decisions yourself, so how could you possibly judge their actions as wrong. Still some will find any rebuke as belittling, cowering as a child scorned, afraid of what others will think should they find out what they have 'done wrong'. When a child of God is rebuked, it is a definite sign they are loved too much to be allowed to continue in their folly.  We may not judge one another - it isn't our place to act as 'judge', but God does ask us to look out for the welfare of one another. We aren't just to turn a blind eye to another's wrong actions. As much as is possible, we must ge...

Those who learn from the lessons of life will join the others who are wise. Those who disregard discipline sabotage themselves, but those who are open to correction gain understanding. Reverence for the Eternal is the first lesson of wisdom, and humility always precedes honor. (Proverbs 15:31-33) "You were given this life because you were strong enough to live it." (Author Unknown) We don't receive lessons in this life through osmosis, but because we walk through them and learn from them. Someone might think they were given the life they were given because only THEY could live up to the challenge. The challenge wasn't given to you because you had the strength, it was given to you to reveal the strength the Almighty would give you to walk through it. We call it life and it comes at us at extraordinary speeds on occasion. The lessons of life will lure us in like a slow, lazy river gives us the sense all will be peaceful as we launch out only to find it takes us strai...

If you stop learning, you will forget what you already know. (Proverbs 19:27) It has been a good day whenever I learn something new. Ever had to learn a lesson you just didn't want to learn? I have - too many times to count! Those are the ones that are tough to learn, but necessary if we are to grow up into strong and "survivable" creatures. I had to learn to brush my teeth, or decay would ensue. I had to learn to tie my shoes because I would trip over the laces if untied. These were probably some of the easier lessons to learn in this life - the ones I can say I have mastered. Then there are the tougher ones - like learning to keep my mouth shut at times when less words are better than more, or how to navigate risky relationship paths that need to be traversed, but which are pocked with all kinds of landmines! You know those lessons I am referring to - for you have your own. In those moments, it would be easiest to just stop learning - to say the learning would b...

The words of the wise prod us to live well. They’re like nails hammered home, holding life together. They are given by God, the one Shepherd. (Ecclesiastes 12:11) A water pitcher has a spout that is designed to pour out the contents it holds in a "funnel-like" stream that hits the spot we aim the spout toward (hopefully a glass or container). Someone you know pours into your life - who 'hits the spot' almost all the time for you? Go ahead - really think about those in your circle who actually "pour into" your life and 'hit the spot'. You are likely to discover there are a lot more who have the "spout" turned toward them - not you! They take from you, expecting you to pour into their lives, without any thought of ever pouring into yours. If you are as fortunate as I have been, there is always some individual who seems to be able to pour into my life just when I need it. I have often shared with you some things a friend said that sparked...

Some of us are asked to do things we aren't all that willing to do - especially when we consider the price of what is asked of us. Some will say the price they are asked to pay doesn't equal the reward they will receive from whatever it is they are asked to do. Perhaps someone riddled with cancer asks you to go with them to the doctor for their next update - while inside you are secretly dreading the long waits that cut into your day's plans and the fact you are surrounded by sick people with waning hope that just act to make you a little more than depressed. Maybe you have been asked to give of your time to a ministry at the local church or been 'volun-told' you will be the rep at a local event sponsored by your employer - all the while wondering just how much this is going to "cut into" your "free time". Regardless of what you are asked, you probably occasionally struggle a little with the "price" associated with it, huh? We all st...

I saw this little "hit like if you agree" post on Facebook the other day.  It wasn't credited to anyone, so I don't know who to give credit to, but here is what it said: 5 Things We All Need to Quit Right Now -   1. Trying to please everyone 2. Fearing change 3. Living the past 4. Putting yourself down 5. Overthinking Now, this isn't bad advice at all, but for most of those who read the list, we will willingly type "yes" or hit the "share" button, but really stopping those things once and for all in our lives is another matter!  To break this down a little, I would like to give us a scriptural perspective on each one of these -  1. Trying to please everyone:   Do you think I care about the approval of men or about the approval of God? Do you think I am on a mission to please people? If I am still  spinning my wheels  trying to please men, then there is no way I can be a servant of the Anointed One,  the Liberating King . (Gala...

It was Winston Churchill who once said, "I am always ready to learn although I do not always like being taught." Boy, isn't that the truth! I like learning new things, but there are a whole lot more times I resist being taught more than I'd like to admit! Life is full of teachable moments, but not all of us are great at actually engaging with the moments. According to scripture, a good student is one who "closely observes" and then "follows instructions".  A good student will not only follow instructions, but he will observe so as to emulate or "reproduce" the behavior / actions of the one he is observing. I like watching those cooking shows on TV, but do you know how many of those recipes I actually make?  Zero!  I don't even come close!  What they do provide for me is a seed thought of how I might make or use something differently than I had in the past.  Oftentimes, this is a means of learning we may not really count on happenin...

Okay, today's lesson may seem a little bit like a biology lesson, or a study into insects, but bear with me as we take this journey.  Ants are social creatures - living in colonies and not out there all alone.  In this respect, they are kind of like us humans - doing much better in a "colony" of sorts than trying to make it through this life all alone.  I marvel at how these tiny creatures figured this out when they only have about 250,000 brain cells and we humans cannot figure this out with our greater than 10,000,000 brain cells!  Deep within the colonies of ants, the worker ants spend all day moving the unborn larvae closer to the surface so they can get the heat of the day, but then faithfully move those same larvae deeper into the nest so they can be warmer.  It is a repeated process until the tiny larvae hatch.  Other ants will work all day gathering food for the colony - carrying weights twenty times their own body weight back to the colony to ensu...

How many of us have a hard time saying "no" to ourselves?  It might present the opportunity in the department store when the latest fashions hit the rack, or perhaps when we see the advertisement on the television touting the next best invention to make life easier for all of mankind.  Maybe it presents itself when we open the pantry and fridge only to tell ourselves there is nothing "good" to eat in the house, launching us into our cars and on our way to the Dairy Queen.  Oh, don't get me wrong, the pantry and fridge weren't empty - they were stocked almost to overflowing - there was just not something which tickled our fancy at the moment.  I haven't driven a car in over two weeks due to my knee replacement - something I haven't had to "forsake" since I started driving in my teen years.  This makes fulfilling my every whim and fancy just a little more difficult right now!  It almost forces me to make better decisions - because even my gr...

Remember:  To think of again and again; to remain aware of; bringing what exists in the unconscious mind back into the conscious mind.  All of us remember things - some a little differently than others.  I remember my first "solo" bike ride - but mostly because I have scars to show for it!  I remember the birth of my two children, but not every excruciating moment!  I remember the meal we had for dinner last night - but it carries no significance to me. There are times when we remember stuff in a manner which really is a little "off" in the perspective of aligning with the actual way things "went down". We have "fabricated" our own "truth" in the memory.  If you have ever been on a mountain-top experience for a while, you likely have some pretty fond memories of those moments in time.  On the other hand, if you have also endured the dryness of the desert times, you might just have some pretty significant memories of those experiences wh...