The Plumbline

I don't know about you, but my hardest subject in school was math. I did well, but I had to work very, very hard at learning math. It just didn't come easy to me. Natural sciences, reading, writing,  language work, and all the rest just seemed to come easier. Math took effort and lots of study. It is the one class I actually didn't look forward to - all the others were a delight. When I finally 'got' the method of solving the problem, whether it was a formula I needed to follow, or some principle I needed to consistently apply, it made sense and I held onto that method. Put in another variable and that same method didn't always work! Sometimes you had to adjust the method to get to solution. I am so glad God gives us a little help in the 'problem-solving' department when it comes to sin (another subject I mastered well without much trying!). There is no 'method', nor any particular 'series of steps' we need to take, just trust him to be t...

It was Winston Churchill who reminded us that if we are "going through hell, keep going"! It isn't one of those places where we should stop and 'enjoy the scenery', for sure! Hell on this earth often isn't so much of a place as it is a condition or set of circumstances that make life just too doggone unbearable that we almost want to just curl up in a fetal position and languish in our misery. Churchill was also the one who said, "The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty." I think that is how I try to live my life - as one who looks for the opportunities - knowing full well the difficulties are there, but not being willing to settle into them and allow them to settle into me! 3 We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they are good for us—they help us learn to be patient. 4 And patience develops strength of character in us and helps us trust God more eac...