The Plumbline

21-22 "You're familiar with the command to the ancients, 'Do not murder.' I'm telling you that anyone who is so much as angry with a brother or sister is guilty of murder. Carelessly call a brother 'idiot!' and you just might find yourself hauled into court. Thoughtlessly yell 'stupid!' at a sister and you are on the brink of hellfire. The simple moral fact is that words kill." (Matthew 5:21-22) 3-5 A bit in the mouth of a horse controls the whole horse. A small rudder on a huge ship in the hands of a skilled captain sets a course in the face of the strongest winds. A word out of your mouth may seem of no account, but it can accomplish nearly anything—or destroy it! (James 3:3-5) Words matter - what we think should not always be spoken!  There is no greater struggle than to learn to control one's speech.  It is so very easy to just blurt out words that are thoughtlessly spoken - it is quite another thing to "mop up" the aftermat...

13 "Let me tell you why you are here. You're here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You've lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage." (Matthew 5:13) 22-24 Don't fool yourself into thinking that you are a listener when you are anything but, letting the Word go in one ear and out the other. Act on what you hear! Those who hear and don't act are like those who glance in the mirror, walk away, and two minutes later have no idea who they are, what they look like. (James 1:22-24) In the days of the pioneers, salt was a basic "staple" of life.  It was that which acted as "preservation" for everything.  It also was the main seasoning of the dishes prepared.  Perhaps we would do well to look at some of the other functions of salt in order to see what Jesus may have meant when he referred to sour lives a salt-seasoning that brings out the God-f...