The Plumbline

Trust is a big thing, not so much because we do a great job with this one, but it is so often the focus of attention because of how frequently it is breached. Look at how many 'hacking' issues have left millions exposed to identity fraud because one individual was able to breach what others thought they could trust in. Consider how many relationships dissolve each year, simply because trust was breached. Trust is based on the integrity of another - we count on them to do what it is that they represent themselves capable of doing. When trust is broken, we find ourselves questioning the strength of that relationship because we have based everything on the belief that the other party would perform as we expected and how they 'promised' they would be able to perform. I know I have antivirus software on the computer, but has that kept me free of SPAM, occasional virus invasions, or computer crashes? No, because the 'lines of trust' are always changing today! It is ha...

But you are his chosen people, the King’s priests. You are a holy nation, people who belong to God. He chose you to tell about the wonderful things he has done. He brought you out of the darkness of sin into his wonderful light. ( 1 Peter 2:9   ERV ) Commercials on TV are written to tell a quick story related to a product the manufacturers hope to sell us. It could be they have created the most comfortable pillow known to man and they want to convince us to spend far more on one pillow than we ever did on all the pillows we have owned combined! It could be they have developed a sure fire cure for some ailment if we just use their salve, or will delight our families with the latest flavor found in some product they package for us to snack upon as we watch our favorite sports on TV. Regardless of the "product", the "story" told is supposed to create a "desire" in us to "want" the product. Could it just be that God knows the importance of "...

As the Christmas pageants and nativity scenes begin to depict the Christmas story all over the world, it is important to remember the mission of the 'heavenly messengers' which heralded the birth of the Messiah.  Their mission was not to gain the attention of the world, but to focus the world's attention on the fulfillment of prophesy - the coming of the one who would set mankind free.  All messengers have a purpose - to declare a message.  Back in the day, before telephones were in every household or the advancement of technology to the point we can search anything on the internet, people relied upon messengers to deliver these little messages called telegrams.  Across the miles and miles of wires, signals were transmitted, decoded, and placed upon a small page.  Secured in a distinctive envelope and carried to their destination by one commissioned to deliver that message to the intended recipient, those messages brought news of both joy and disappointment. ...

We have come to think of graffiti as a pretty negative word associated with all manner of words, artwork, and the like just haphazardly placed on walls, bathroom stalls, and almost any inanimate object which stands long enough for the "artist" to gain access.  In looking up the origin of this word, I found it means any type of "inscription" which is written upon an object.  In the psalms, David repeatedly talks about the power of the Word of God "inscribed" on his heart.  In giving the Law to the people of Israel, Moses spoke of binding them upon their hands and foreheads, as well as inscribing them on the doorposts of their houses.  This idea of "inscribing" has been around for a long time, but it has taken on a different meaning with the evolution of "graffiti" becoming an "eye-sore" these days.  In the most literal sense, anything which is "inscribed" by God is something worth remembering!   I call to you, God, ...