The Plumbline

Do you ever wonder how to pray for our nation right now? In this unsettled times of pandemic resurgence, uncertain election outcomes, and even unrest due to senseless acts of violence, how do we pray for our nation? I think it becomes quite clear as we consider this passage:  God of our Lord Jesus the Anointed, Father of Glory: I call out to You on behalf of Your people. Give them minds ready to receive wisdom and revelation so they will truly know You. Open the eyes of their hearts, and let the light of Your truth flood in. Shine Your light on the hope You are calling them to embrace. Reveal to them the glorious riches You are preparing as their inheritance. Let them see the full extent of Your power that is at work in those of us who believe, and may it be done according to Your might and power.  (Ephesians 1:17-19) I call out to you on behalf of your people - this is where it begins - we stop what we are doing and we actually take time to call out to God. We take notice of ...

I have run into people in this world who are quite smart, but not very 'smart', if you know what I mean. They have all the IQ they could ever put to use, but sometimes they lack the common sense to go along with that very well-developed IQ. Our 'intelligence quotient' doesn't always make us wise. Wisdom comes more by making the right connections rather than adding more 'smarts' to our list of already too long 'smarts'. The right connections begin with our relationship with Christ - to know him is to gain understanding (wisdom). There is more to knowing God than just calling ourselves a Christian, going to church, and under-scoring a few favorite passages in a leather-bound Bible. There is more to wisdom than just getting 'smarter'. If you want to become wise, you must begin by respecting the Lord. To know the Holy One is to gain understanding. (Proverbs 9:10) It should come as no surprise to us that we need to 'become' wise - implyin...