The Plumbline

I once did a study on the "taming of the tongue" - a task which has proven to be quite the challenge in my own life.  Words just pop into my head, come quickly to my lips, and are spoken without much thought - sometimes with warning bells sounding loud and clean in my brain, but simply unheeded by my heart!  If you have ever found yourself in a similar situation, you probably know how difficult this "task" of taming the tongue can be!  Jesus told the religious leaders one day, " Words are powerful; take them seriously. Words can be your salvation. Words can also be your damnation.”   (Matthew 12:37 MSG)  What he was really speaking about were the "careless" words we often speak - the words which come back to "haunt" us.  So, I had to ask what Jesus could have meant by "careless" words - were these just he words which were spoken in an unthinking or unconcerned manner?  It could be because they also include the words which have no v...

I wonder how many of us could agree with this equation: Trouble = Training Most of us equate "training" to the efforts we put forth to AVOID trouble - such as when we work out at the gym or take regular walks in order to keep our hearts healthy and avoid heart disease.  Very few of us will actually equate the present "trouble" we might be experiencing as a way of "training" either our minds, bodies, or spirits.   God is educating you; that’s why you must never drop out. He’s treating you as dear children. This trouble you’re in isn’t punishment; it’s  training , the normal experience of children. Only irresponsible parents leave children to fend for themselves. Would you prefer an irresponsible God? We respect our own parents for training and not spoiling us, so why not embrace God’s training so we can truly  live ? While we were children, our parents did what  seemed  best to them. But God is doing what  is  best for us, training us to l...