The Plumbline

How little do they see what really is, who frame their hasty judgment upon that which seems.  (Daniel Webster) Gold can be proved to be pure by fire, but gold will ruin. When your faith is proven to be pure, the result will be praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ comes. You have not seen Christ, but still you love him. You can’t see him now, but you believe in him. You are filled with a wonderful and heavenly joy that cannot be explained. Your faith has a goal, and you are reaching that goal—your salvation. (I Peter 1:7-9) Your faith has a goal - one you may not fully understand, but one you will 'grow into' as you spend time with Jesus. We don't see what we will become, but God has ordained (purposed ahead of time) for all that we will do, experience, and become in Christ Jesus. Faith must be proven - probably something you didn't want to hear, right? Without the 'proving' of our faith, it is kind of mushy, wishy-washy, and 'limp'. We need a ...

People who try hard to do good and be faithful will find life, goodness, and honor.  A wise person can defeat a city full of warriors and tear down the defenses they trust in. (Proverbs 21:21-22) Harry S. Truman reminds us, "It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit." When we live by the standards God lays out for us in scripture, we aren't doing it to 'get credit' for doing good, but we can be assured God takes notice of our obedience. We may not feel the effects of our obedience immediately, but others may see it, finding themselves facing challenges similar to those we are going through, and take heart that they also can make wise choices. While it is undeniably hard to 'do right' or 'good' all of the time, the more we choose to respond to life's challenges in a wise manner, the more it brings honor to God; and when we bring honor to God, it is always a good thing! Tearing down a city's defenses may see...

Building upon a strong foundation is important. The materials we acquire for the building must be put to use. I have a home improvement store (one of those huge ones) about one mile from the house. I love to take time to go up and down the aisles exploring the various things they have there. If I could have my "run of the store" without worrying about paying for the stuff, it would be like "heaven on earth"! From the little fasteners which seemingly disappear as they are put into the wood, or the drill bit adapter which creates that perfect angle by which you get that screw in at a perfect 45-degree angle, I could create and create and create! As long as those tools and materials remain at the local home improvement store, they are just materials. Unless we actually take into our possession what God gives us for building up our lives and put them to use in our lives, they are simply dreams we hold. We have been given great resources, but if we don't put into pra...