The Plumbline

Someone once told me I needed to learn how to flirt. I kid you not! It wasn't even a man - it was a girlfriend that said I had no clue how to 'drop the hint' that I was interested in a guy. Well, as time has passed, I probably still don't have a clue, but it doesn't matter to me because I am not really looking for a guy! There are many forms of invitations - spoken, unspoken, and written. The "unspoken" invitations are those that are simply expressed by a simple gesture, a simple look, or a nod of the head. We all might receive spoken invitations - to go to dinner with a friend, drop by a relative's house, or even hit up the grand opening of a new eatery in town. We might receive written, more formalized invitations - like those inviting us to attend a wedding, baptism, or other special event. There is one very important invitation we each receive - customized especially for us - one that we just don't want to ignore. "Are you tired? Worn out...

Have you ever found yourself looking the wrong way when something great happens and you totally missed it? I have and it just bums me out when that happens because everyone who actually saw whatever it was proclaim over and over how awesome it was and how terrible it was that I missed it! It wasn't like I missed it on purpose, people! I just had my attention on something else. In today's world of 'rewind' and 'replay' features on almost everything, it is possible to 'go back' to catch what we miss in a video or even on live TV, but in real life those features are seldom at our disposal. You ever find yourself with your attention on 'something else' and wish you had a 'replay' button so you could 'catch up' with the rest of your friends? Ever wish you could just 'rewind' so you wouldn't miss out on all that stuff you wish now you never had missed? I think this is why God always asks us to keep our focus 'forward...

That evening a lot of demon-afflicted people were brought to him. He relieved the inwardly tormented. He cured the bodily ill. He fulfilled Isaiah's well-known sermon: He took our illnesses, He carried our diseases. (Matthew 8:16-17) We don't always understand how God moves, what he plans within the long fights with debilitating disease, or how the loss of a loved one will affect the lives of those who have trusted God for their loved one's healing. One thing you and I can hold onto - God is NEVER untrue to his word! His purposes may be far beyond our limited ability to understand them, but he never "backs down" on his word! Get that - God NEVER backs down on his word - his promises are consistent and they are a sure foundation for our lives. Through the good, the bad, and the ugly - his promises remain the same. After a long day of healing the sick, Jesus is faced with even more sick and tormented individuals who petition for their release from infirmity. He h...