The Plumbline

Father, may they clearly know Your will and achieve the height and depth of spiritual wisdom and understanding. May their lives be a credit to You, Lord; and what’s more, may they continue to delight You by doing every good work and growing in the true knowledge that comes from being close to You. Strengthen them with Your infinite power, according to Your glorious might, so that they will have everything they need to hold on and endure hardship patiently and joyfully. (Colossians 1:9-11 VOICE) Although the passage we are looking at today was written as a prayer for the church at Colossae, it has some meaning for us as fellow believers in the grace and forgiveness of God. Most of us will quickly admit one of the most frequent struggles we face is this assurance we are acting in the will of God - knowing what to do, when to do it, and how it should be accomplished.  As we get more experienced with doing things in life, we often discover there is more than one way to actually d...

Toby Mac posted a short thought worth sharing with each of you today: " Your story could be the key that unlocks someone else's prison. Don't be afraid to share it ."  We all have a story to tell - the very key by which someone could find release from whatever it is they have been bound to for sometimes years and years.  It might not seem like much when you first consider sharing it, but don't discount what God can do with even a few honest words.  I think this is the power of confession - it not only helps us, but it makes us feel and appear real to others.  It makes our humanness apparent - something we Christians seem to have a hard time with on occasion. Brothers and sisters, if someone you know loses his way and rebels against God, pursue him in love and bring him back to the truth.  Know this: If you turn a sinner back from the error of his ways, then you will rescue him from the grips of death and cover the pain and consequences of untold sins. (James 5...

A  single  correction makes a more lasting impression on one who is wise  than a hundred lashes do on a fool.  (Proverbs 17:10 VOICE) Just before this verse comes the instruction about forgiveness - it fosters love whenever forgiveness is extended in sincerity. I think people who are open to correction are also very forgiving people - first because they have learned to admit to their own wrongs and forgive themselves, as well as being able to not hold another in a position of "owing" them for any misdeeds. Bitter people are seldom delighted to embrace correction - especially the first time they hear it. They want to justify their position of being angry with another, so they just hold onto their position (right or wrong) and let the juices eat at them a while. As the rest of the passage goes, it reminds us of the need to release others because holding onto a thousand wrongs done by the other person only makes us very bitter people.  It is almost like it chai...