The Plumbline

Stop for just a moment in your busy day and consider what your words of praise have been today. Not the praise you give another, but the praise you lift to the Lord of Lords and King of Kings. I get really put off by words like "God's blessing be upon you" when it seems to be words that come out like they are memorized or simply spoken out of habit. Sometimes I think we become so familiar with saying something like "Bless God!" or "Thank You Jesus!" that we almost speak them without any really thought behind them! Consider how we might feel when all we hear from someone is, "I love you" or "You are so special to me", but then never really see the love or "special" connection displayed. The words become hollow when spoken so frequently without any really action behind them, don't they? The same could be true of our worship! Blessed are you, God of Israel, our father from of old and forever. To you, O God, belong the g...

Deep wells are necessary here in Arizona because anything near the surface actually dries up pretty quickly unless it is fed from a very deep and refreshing source. The tendency to water only the surface of our ground actually doesn't promote deeper root systems, but a more superficial rooting. The trees, shrubs, and grasses with only these superficial roots often don't make it for the long haul of summer because they have nothing to draw from when the intensity of heat comes. We want to have deep wells to draw from, as we will face many a circumstance in life that turns the heat up more than a little in our lives. Knowing what is right is like deep water in the heart; a wise person draws from the well within. (Proverbs 20:5) There is a tendency to "over-think" things today. We "work" a solution until it is what some call "fool-proof" and then we might take the steps to put it into action. The problem is that none of us is really all that what we ...

I have never really lived in an area where we have "well-water" to draw from, but my sister did in Napa Valley.  I remember the "sweetness" of the water, how cool it was when it came out of the faucet, and the just "freshness" it had.  Being a city girl, this was quite an experience for me because I was used to the fluoride, strong taste of chemicals like chlorine, and the like.  To take "pure" water was almost a shock to my body!  If you are also a city gal, you know what I mean!  Now, think about the well within each of us - that well of refreshing, purity, and sweetness which is cultivated there by the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.  No well is ever benefit until it drawn from - wells serve their purpose only when something comes forth.  What comes forth in your life is based on who "taps" the well and how frequently the well is "stirred" within! Knowing what is right is like deep water in the heart;   a wise pe...