The Plumbline

Life Hack #12: It amazes me how many individuals actually think they are learning something when they just attend church on Sunday, issuing proclamations of agreement and head nods in assent to the teaching, or even watch Christian TV all through the week, and still don't manifest a life change. Exposure to a subject and even agreement with it is not learning - but God holds us accountable for the knowledge we possess, even when we don't use it. Exposure to a subject gives us knowledge of the subject - application of the knowledge gives us the chance to be affected by it.  Give yourselves to disciplined instruction; open your ears to tested knowledge. (Proverbs 23:12) We need to "give ourselves" to disciplined instruction. We actually have to put something into our learning, but we all have experienced the difficulty associated with actually learning. The first thing we must remember is that the attitude we exhibit when truth is made available to us and how well...

Life Hack #11: There are a variety of individuals that scripture refers to as the "helpless" - orphans, widows, and those unable to speak for themselves, such as the mentally handicapped and elderly demented. As a basis of establishing "fair dealings" with these individuals, scripture warns repeatedly about taking advantage of them. This may be in the realm of their finances, the use of their time or talent, or even the use of their things such as lands or physical property, and even their energies in the form of whatever 'work' they are capable of performing. Just the very hint of any misdealing with these individuals will raise the hair on the back of God's neck. He stands as their ADVOCATE - and he doesn't stand alone! He has a vast army of angels at his disposal! Don’t stealthily move back the boundary lines or cheat orphans out of their property, for they have a powerful Advocate who will go to bat for them. (Proverbs 23:10-11) At that time...

Life Hack #10: We all need advice on occasion, while we stand ready to give it on others. Sometimes it is quite welcomed, and at others it is resented and rejected because it was totally unwanted. Most advice comes with a little bit of opinion attached, but it could also be a statement of truth which is difficult to ignore. Advice is really any opinion or recommendation offered as a guide for action or conduct. We see someone about to perform a particular action or exhibit conduct which will result in harm to them or another, and our immediate response may be to offer some "advice" to not do it. Have you ever noticed that we are quick to offer advice, but sometimes quite slow to accept it? It is much easier to offer an opinion than it is to accept the recommendations of that someone on the outside looking into our lives! Don’t bother talking sense to fools; they’ll only poke fun at your words. (Proverbs 23:9) We mull over advice in our brains, then we figure out how to...