The Plumbline

So where does that leave you when you criticize a brother? And where does that leave you when you condescend to a sister? I’d say it leaves you looking pretty silly—or worse. Eventually, we’re all going to end up kneeling side by side in the place of judgment, facing God. Your critical and condescending ways aren’t going to improve your position there one bit. Read it for yourself in Scripture: “As I live and breathe,” God says,  “every knee will bow before me; e very tongue will tell the honest truth  that I and only I am God.”  So, mind your own business. You’ve got your hands full just taking care of your own life before God. (Romans 17:10-12) Hands full, indeed! My own life needs all the focus it can get. I don't really have the time or energy to criticize yours! I might think pointing out something a little 'off-kilter' in your life makes me look a bit better, but I probably noticed it in yours because I am so familiar with that same thing in my life! As Paul pens th...

But God’s angry displeasure erupts as acts of human mistrust and wrongdoing and lying accumulate, as people try to put a shroud over truth. But the basic reality of God is plain enough. Open your eyes and there it is! By taking a long and thoughtful look at what God has created, people have always been able to see what their eyes as such can’t see: eternal power, for instance, and the mystery of his divine being. So nobody has a good excuse. What happened was this: People knew God perfectly well, but when they didn’t treat him like God, refusing to worship him, they trivialized themselves into silliness and confusion so that there was neither sense nor direction left in their lives. They pretended to know it all, but were illiterate regarding life. They traded the glory of God who holds the whole world in his hands for cheap figurines you can buy at any roadside stand. (Romans 1:20) No good excuse - did you catch that? We don't have to see God to know he exists - we can see evidenc...

Dr. Joyce Brothers reminds us, "The best proof of love is trust." Let those words sink in just a bit - don't just skim over them. The best PROOF of LOVE is TRUST. Three very important words because love requires proof and the only proof that really matters is when you know you can count on the person you love. If we are to do more than just 'survive' in this world, we need to master this thing we call love. We take each other for granted - expecting so much from one another - not really appreciating the person behind the actions. Trust is based upon more than 'follow-through' - it is based upon the motivation of the heart (the spirit behind the actions).  We can trust God because he did more than 'follow-through' on a couple of promises to us. He did more than just 'be there' in our lives. He showed us we could trust in him - he gave us the 'proof' of his love through his Son. Everything in the world is about to be wrapped up, so ta...