The Plumbline

Since we have such a huge crowd of men of faith watching us from the grandstands, let us strip off anything that slows us down or holds us back, and especially those sins that wrap themselves so tightly around our feet and trip us up; and let us run with patience the particular race that God has set before us. (Hebrews 12:1 TLB) As we focus on our goals accomplished this week, let us take a moment to examine how we are doing with our 'goal' to be closer to Christ. How well did we do on that one? Did we take time each day to get into his Word, not just with a casual 'look-see', but with intent? Did we find ourselves 'tripping' over some old sin pattern that we thought we'd be able to overcome this week, but didn't do so well with? Did we 'run' toward sin or away from it? Don't despair when your goals aren't met - perhaps they just need a little 'revisit' this week, with a little less of our 'focus' and a little more of God...

Pushed to the wall, I called to God; from the wide-open spaces, he answered. God’s now at my side and I’m not afraid; who would dare lay a hand on me? God’s my strong champion; I flick off my enemies like flies. Far better to take refuge in God than trust in people; Far better to take refuge in God than trust in celebrities. (Psalm 119:5-9 MSG) Have you been thinking that life has 'pushed you to the wall'? As a youngster, there were a couple of times when some bullies pushed me to the wall. I was scared and intimidated by their actions, but I did my best not to show that on the outside. I tried to portray myself as 'strong' and 'tough' in my own way, but I did a miserable job of actually 'standing strong' when push came to shove. I wanted so much to call out for a teacher to come to my rescue, but I had to appear 'tough', so I just took it. When we feel 'hemmed in' by life's challenges, it easy to feel like there is nowhere to turn, b...