The Plumbline

When a train goes through a tunnel and it gets dark, you don't throw away the ticket and jump off. You sit still and trust the engineer. (Corrie Ten Boom) God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. (James 1:12 NLT) The 'trial train' is not one any of us actually purchases a ticket for, is it? We might be 'gifted' a ticket or taken for a ride on it without being fully aware of where it was headed when we boarded it, but we seldom actually step forward and buy the ticket for that train ride! We 'ride' because it is very hard to actually jump off it unscathed! The 'trial train' comes without notice, not really keeping a schedule. It just 'shows up' unannounced and we seem to be 'herded' onto it like cattle going to the slaughterhouse. Weather unwittingly boarding that train, or having made a conscious decision to board, we are o...

Viktor Frankl said, "When we are no longer able to change a situation - we are challenged to change ourselves." Have you ever thought that the more we want life to change around us, it could just be that it needs to change within us first? That thought may frighten some because they think they are on the right path already. We may very well be, but the choice to be on that path is one thing - the choice to do all God asks us to do may not always be what we choose.  When people do not accept divine guidance, they run wild. But whoever obeys the law is joyful. (Proverbs 29:18 NLT) We all have probably been in the situation of knowing something we were about to do isn't all that great of a choice, but we make it anyway. Why do we do that? Is it because we believe we know better than God? Is it that we just wanted the satisfaction of doing whatever it is we did? Regardless of the reason, we didn't act or do as we were instructed by God. Even when we don't hear his c...