I have been MIA for a month (actually a month and 2 weeks I think). While I have still read each devotional the past few Mondays I didn't do as much self reflection and application as I had been and I've missed it. I also failed to communicate them to you and I'm sorry about that. You can read all about our busy month and my excuses for not blogging here. It is a time commitment that I obligated to many weeks ago and we are a little over halfway to our year. I am committed to keeping this up for my own accountability and to encourage others along the way. So, here is to finishing out the year!
A Plumb line ( I had no idea what it was until I googled it AND my husbands a builder, oops!) is a tool that someone would use when building a wall to make sure it's straight. It's a cord suspending a lead weight that is used to show a builder if the wall is vertically straight. If a wall isn't straight, overtime, it will collapse. It is not sturdy and does not stand strong. Without the plumb line, the wall would lose its structural integrity.
From the book of Amos:
"Then he showed me another vision. I saw the Lord standing beside a wall that had been built using a plumb line. He was checking it with a plumb line to see if it was straight. And the Lord said to me, "Amos, what do you see?"
I answered. "A plumb line".
And the Lord replied, "I will test my people with this plumb line. I will no longer ignore all their sins. The pagan shrines of your ancestors and the temples of Israel will be destroyed, and I will bring the dynasty of King Jeroboam to a sudden end."
Amos 7:7-9
Now knowing what a plumb line is I hope that scripture was a little easier to understand, it was for me. The Lord was using the plumb line as an analogy to how he was going to "check" or hold his people "accountable" and "measure" their sin. God wants us to be strong and structurally sound and knows that sin causes us to go down crooked paths and ultimately leads to our destruction.
So, Karol Ladd tells us that our plumb line is God's Word. What I love about that is yesterday in church, Pastor Randy said something that really stuck with me, "Do you acknowledge your sin or only justify it? To live by and justify the word of God is to KNOW the word of God". I was convicted. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says. "All scripture is inspired by God and Is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It straightens us out and teaches us to do what is right. It is God's way of preparing us in every way, fully equipped for every good thing God wants us to do." I feel like so many people "nowadays" constantly justify their sins. There is a "reason" for everything. We all sin, duh, daily I sin... but it doesn't make it right if I make up a really good excuse or I can justify it in my own head. Acknowledging it and admitting I messed up, then going to God's word on what is right and good is the only way to learn from that sin instead of justifying it in my own mind. Pastor Randy's sermon was related to America's sin at the moment, more specifically the politics surrounding abortion and Gay rights. I am not going to talk about my specific point of view on this blog other than sharing his sermon message in that Americans are justifying their point of view and they are breaking God's heart. They are not acknowledging what the bible says, what it means and how it applies to these issues and more importantly peoples lives. America needs God's plumb line and that's all I am going to say.
"To build strong lives, we need to measure ourselves against the plumb line of God's Word." (Ladd) What is our role as mommas to little ones growing up in a society of people who don't measure their lives against God's word? Well, we need to reach our children with God's word. We need to learn and lead by example for our children. Who else can we count on to do it?
I need to read my bible more, I need to know and understand God's word better so that I continue to be built into a strong, sturdy woman and momma of God so I can raise my kiddos to be the same. My sin is not forgiven because I, capital I, can justify it. It is forgiven by the Grace of God when I can so humbly acknowledge and admit my sin to him. I pray I can raise my Pax and Brinlee to do the same - growing as a momma is the first step right?
Choices to make this week:
- I will choose to begin systematically reading God's word, ask the Lord to reveal any sin that lurks in my heart, teach my children the importance of knowing, loving, and obeying God's word.
Prayer from Karol Ladd for us:
"Powerful Lord and gracious Father, I praise you for the wonderful blessing of your Word. Thank you for giving me a plumb line by which I can measure my life. Help me to honor you in the way that I live. Thank you for wanting the best for me and my family. Help us to be "structurally sound" as we study your Word together and learn to walk in your ways. In Jesus's name I pray, amen."
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