The Plumbline

Success is the sum of small efforts - repeated day in and day out. (Robert Collier) So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless. (I Corinthians 15:58 NLT) Consistency in following Jesus is our goal. We don't do this with the greatest of ease, do we? We have these little fits and starts that keep us moving forward at a snail's pace sometimes. It is that 'sporadic' on again - off again walk that makes it seem like it is impossible to actually get anywhere in this spiritual walk. We might want to rethink that, though. Jesus might like to see our consistency, but he can definitely work with our 'sporadic' fits and starts! While the goal is to be strong and immovable, always 'spot on' in our commitment, we need not be down on ourselves when we find ourselves growing a little 'cold' in our commitments to prayer, worship, or even study...

But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit. (Jerremiah 17:7-8 NLT) Long months of drought. Heat that scorches and dries. Those are things that most of us want to avoid, not just 'survive', aren't they? The longer we live on this earth, the chances are good that we will endure some 'scorching heat' and 'drought'. If not in our natural world, then in our spiritual lives. The droughts in a spiritual sense are kind of like very dry seasons that are marked by us not really feeling all that 'connected' to God. It is like we just don't 'feel' his presence, much less feel like what we are doing to maintain that relationship is really 'working'. We might read our ...