The Plumbline

What does the Lord your God really want from you? The Lord your God wants you to respect him and do what he says. He wants you to love him and to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. So obey the laws and commands of the Lord that I am giving you today. These laws and commands are for your own good. (Deuteronomy 10:12-13) I like it when scripture actually poses the question and then follows with a very clear answer. There is nothing vague about what God wants from us, is there? Love him! Give him your entire heart! Serve him from the heart! Put you entire being into your actions of obedience! Do what he says all the time, not just when it pleases us. Pretty plain instruction indeed. How does one show respect for God? It begins by getting to know who he is and then it continues as we step out in obedience to the things he asks of us. It begins by listening - really paying close attention to his still small voice. As we recognize his power and his sovereign ...

God made all things. And everything continues through him and for him.  (Romans 11:36) God made all things - from the sand at the seashore to the hair on your head. Nothing exists without him. His breathe gave us life and his breathe sustains that life. His blood brings us into his family and his blood ensures we are cleansed of all manner of sin. His word puts all things into motion and sustains all things in perfect order. All things are in his care and under his careful watch - including you! Everything continues - telling words that indicate we don't just "come to Christ" and stagnate! We continue to grow in grace. Can we become something greater than what he calls us to be in his kingdom? Nope, but some will still try to remake their own lives even when the God who made and sustains all things provided all they need to grow in grace. The grace is a gift, but the growth must be intentional. We must press into his grace each day in order to grow in it. It isn't tha...

I remember you while lying on my bed. I think about you in the middle of the night. That is because you are the one who helps me. It makes me happy to be under your protection! I stay close to you, and you hold me with your powerful arm. (Psalm 63:6-8) There are many ways to remember God, aren't there? We can do something quit formal such as journaling his accomplishments in our lives, or raising our hands in corporate worship. In the stillness of the night hours there are times when his goodness and grace will just flood in. In those moments, the praise is a little less like raising hands and voices in corporate worship, but more of a stillness and peace that just overwhelms you. Did you realize settling into that peace is actually one way we bring praise to him? God's work in our lives is evident in big ways, such as when he helps us avoid a car wreck, but he is also working when we may not even see it. In the stillness of the night hours, it is often the time when God can st...