The Plumbline

Scripture teaches wisdom is something we acquire over time - it says "become wise" - it doesn't say "zap, now you are wise"!  Most of the wisdom we have acquired is done so in what some refer to as the "school of hard knocks".  You know exactly where you learned some of the lessons you have learned, while there are times when you really could not say it was one place or time when the learning happened - it came in the "course of time".  The point is, we don't stop "becoming wise" at any one point in life.  The process of acquiring wisdom is to be a continual thing.  Therefore, every opportunity presented is an opportunity to incorporate some knew knowledge or application of truth. We just need to use what we "amass" and let it affect how we make decisions in the future.  This seems to be the point of our struggle - in using what we already know to help us avoid mistakes and to amass more wisdom in the process! Become...

Prayer is more than the words we speak - it an issue of what is transpiring in the heart at the moment of prayer.  We focus so many times on the "eloquence" of the prayer when what really matters is the spirit of the heart behind the words!  Jesus is teaching one day and he wants to share with is disciples the importance of prayer.  As he does, he starts with the advice to not turn our prayers into big theatrical discussions, but rather to be real with God.   Find a quiet, secluded place so you won’t be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace. (Matthew 6:6 MSG)   I think we are inclined to do a little "role-playing" with God, especially when we think the words matter more than the heart behind them! In prayer there is a connection between what God does and what you do. You can’t get forgiveness from God, for instance, without also forgi...