The Plumbline

 Jesus answered, “I told you, but you don’t believe. Everything I have done has been authorized by my Father, actions that speak louder than words. You don’t believe because you’re not my sheep. My sheep recognize my voice. I know them, and they follow me. I give them real and eternal life. They are protected from the Destroyer for good. No one can steal them from out of my hand. The Father who put them under my care is so much greater than the Destroyer and Thief. No one could ever get them away from him. I and the Father are one heart and mind.” (John 10:28-30) Has God ever told you something, shown you it through scripture or in a sermon, only to find you still don't believe what he has shown you? It can sometimes take days and years for some of us to believe what God says and then to act upon it, or allow it to act upon us as he desires for his words to work. Why? We question authority. We hold onto preconceived ideas about how God works. We live in fear that God will ask us to...

You’re blessed when you stay on course, walking steadily on the road revealed by God. You’re blessed when you follow his directions, doing your best to find him. That’s right—you don’t go off on your own; you walk straight along the road he set. You, God, prescribed the right way to live; now you expect us to live it. Oh, that my steps might be steady, keeping to the course you set; Then I’d never have any regrets in comparing my life with your counsel. I thank you for speaking straight from your heart; I learn the pattern of your righteous ways. I’m going to do what you tell me to do; don’t ever walk off and leave me. (Psalm 119:1-8 MSG) We learn to 'walk steady' when we look for God's path. He gives us plenty of 'good directions', but we have to heed them in order to be certain of our course. Too many times, we choose to 'go it on our own' knowing that we are choosing a course that might just not work out well in the end. Why? ...