The Plumbline

Little children, let us stop just saying we love people; let us really love them, and show it by our actions.  ( 1 John 3:18 TLB )  Just how hard is it to love someone? If we are really honest here, it is much harder than just saying we love them, right? In fact, it is quite easy to say those words at times, and in the back of our mind we are really saying, "You have no idea how much everything has been getting on my nerves lately," or maybe "I do love you, but I have no time to really show you that love right now." It is much harder to show we love someone than it is to speak the words. We mask our true feelings many times with those three words - they are like a bandage we can apply that will actually mean very little to the other person because they are just words spoken into the air. Words mean very little if the corresponding actions are not there to back them up! I think this is why the Apostle Paul penned the words of I Corinthians 13 - to help us see th...

How many times we would love to throw in the towel, give up the fight, and move on without another thought - especially when the answers don't come easily, we are facing yucky stuff that is harder than we ever realized it would be, or the resistance we are facing is just astronomically huge! Then we get just a glimpse of hope from the Word of God, the counsel of a wise friend, or the unsuspecting message of a total stranger. God's faithfulness comes through - in that glimpse of truth, the word of hope, and the totally unexpected reminder of his care. If your revelation hadn't delighted me so, I would have given up when the hard times came. But I'll never forget the advice you gave me; you saved my life with those wise words. Save me! I'm all yours. I look high and low for your words of wisdom. The wicked lie in ambush to destroy me, but I'm only concerned with your plans for me. I see the limits to everything human, but the horizons can't contain your ...

There is a longing of heart that almost causes one to feel faint. This passionate response is part of the sense of urgency that one has when some condition just MUST absolutely be met - no if's, and's, or but's about it - there is a need and it demands to be met. It is the type of urgency that God wants us to have as it applies to him being the center of all we are and all we do. There is much we long for in life, but not all of it is truly rewarding. Not all of it will satisfy us. Not all of it will keep us going way past the point others think we will quit. Yet, there are words spoken today - words specifically designed to lift your heart, to call you close, and to encourage you to take that next step - words spoken because you have a need that must be met. Words spoken in heaven have a great influence over our lives - they are like the wind that directs the sails of the great ships of the sea! I'm homesick—longing for your salvation; I'm waiting for your word o...