The Plumbline

  "Faith is not belief without proof, but trust without reservation." (D. Elton Trueblood)  Trust without reservation - those words really hit home with me today because I have moments when I kind of 'reserve the right' to be fearful of things. How about you? Do you ever have 'reservations' about what God will do, what he is doing, or that he is even concerned about whatever it is you need right now? I think we all have those little 'battles' with faith on occasion, not really doubting God's love or kindness toward us, but seeing the issue before us and being overwhelmed by it rather than the presence of God in the moment. Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see. Through their faith, the people in days of old earned a good reputation. By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen. (Hebrews 11:1-3) The reali...

If your enemies are hungry, give them food to eat. If they are thirsty, give them water to drink. You will heap burning coals of shame on their heads, and the Lord will reward you. (Proverbs 25:21-22) We know Jesus told us to turn the other cheek, but what does this 'heaping burning coals on their head' thing have to do with forgiveness? As we almost assuredly know, when wrong is done to someone, revenge is the usual response, not forgiveness. When we show compassion and kindness to those who have offended us, refusing to 'retaliate' for the wrongdoing, it might just confuse our enemies! If we are fortunate, it will cause them to examine their own heart in the matter and perhaps even come to the conclusion that a different behavior on their part would have been better. Back in the times this passage was penned, coals were shared with each other as a means of starting and maintaining a fire for warmth and cooking. To 'heap them upon their head' didn't mean...