The Plumbline

Answer fools when they speak foolishly,  or they will think they are really wise. (Proverbs 26:5) One can always be wise in their own eyes - because the fool often fails to see what is right in front of their own eyes. The wise person spends time reading the situation to know whether to answer or not - taking just that little bit of time before answering often keeps us out of silly quarrels or needless minutes lost listening to the rantings of a fool! How do you answer a fool? It isn't that they don't deserve an answer, but maybe the way we answer them is more important than we think. The moment we stop to consider our answer - pondering the potential intent of the fool's words - we might just uncover something that will expose the foolish thoughts and intents of the heart that otherwise wouldn't ever be exposed! To not counteract the words of the fool is to be foolish yourself. Why? The fool will go on spreading the foolishness just as he sees it - as he interpre...

But if we confess our sins to him, he can be depended on to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong. And it is perfectly proper for God to do this for us because Christ died to wash away our sins. (I John 1:9 TLB) Depended upon - that means our part is to rely upon him. If you depend upon your vehicle to start when you turn over the ignition, you are relying on the battery to have held a charge, the alternator to do the work of assisting in providing all the amperage needed to support all those other electrical components in the vehicle, and the engine's components to all 'turnover' in response to your having hit that ignition switch. For us, the 'ignition switch' is our confession. The power ignited in response to that confession is to be relied upon - without failure, or need of calling 'roadside service' because it may 'fail' one day! Have you ever hit the ignition more than one time, only to hear the grinding effect of the engine trying t...

It was the late Woodrow Wilson who said, " The man who is swimming against the stream knows the strength of it. " I imagine there are more than a few individuals in my circle of influence today who feel like they are swimming against the current - toughing it out and trying to battle to the other side. A long time ago, I learned if you'd 'tie off' on one side of the river to a sturdy tree or large rock, you could use the momentum of the river's current to carry you across to the other side, all while still tethered to the anchor on the side you were abandoning. That tether could serve as the guide to help others get across, because you would solidly secure it to the opposite side of the strong current's flow on the other riverbank. The next behind you could then 'tether on' and be guided safely across. Many times we are the ones taking the first risk to cross those troublesome currents of life, but as long as our anchor is secure, we can prepare th...