Your Plumb Line

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Sunday - 9:15 AM Sunday School, 10:30 AM Worship Service

by: Denise Robinson

07/09/2021

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"This is what he showed me: the Lord was standing beside a wall built with a plumb line, with a plumb line in his hand. And the Lord said to me, “Amos, what do you see?” And I said, “A plumb line.” Then the Lord said, “See, I am setting a plumb line in the midst of my people Israel...." (Amos 7:7-8a).


In Amos 7:7, God shows the prophet Amos a “plumb line,” a piece of lead or tin hanging from a string used to measure the straightness of a recently constructed wall. The weight, hanging down, always points to the center of gravity; it ensures everything is centered and right. God tells Amos that Israel has been measured and the nation has been found wanting or "off plumb." The people are no longer living in line with God's will; the plumb line shows the extent of their social and economic sin. They are consumed by greed and lust for power and social standing; there is no concern for the poor or the orphan or for justice for all people. God's warning to Amos is that the plumb line has been set and Israel will be judged for how well she conforms.

Do we have a "plumb line" we are to live by? What might it be? What tells us that our lives are aligned, that we are living as we ought to live? You may have suspected already that our plumb line is no one and nothing less than Jesus and the example he set for us. We are in plumb when we love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength and when we love others as we love ourselves. This means we all are likely "out of plumb" far more often than not. But if we learn to stop everything now and then, get out the plumb line, and conduct a quick test, we can start to bring ourselves back into alignment before we get too far out of sync with God's will. 

A plumb line is a quick and basic test we can do daily to see how well we are giving praise and glory to God and showing God's love to others. How is your plumb line today?
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"This is what he showed me: the Lord was standing beside a wall built with a plumb line, with a plumb line in his hand. And the Lord said to me, “Amos, what do you see?” And I said, “A plumb line.” Then the Lord said, “See, I am setting a plumb line in the midst of my people Israel...." (Amos 7:7-8a).


In Amos 7:7, God shows the prophet Amos a “plumb line,” a piece of lead or tin hanging from a string used to measure the straightness of a recently constructed wall. The weight, hanging down, always points to the center of gravity; it ensures everything is centered and right. God tells Amos that Israel has been measured and the nation has been found wanting or "off plumb." The people are no longer living in line with God's will; the plumb line shows the extent of their social and economic sin. They are consumed by greed and lust for power and social standing; there is no concern for the poor or the orphan or for justice for all people. God's warning to Amos is that the plumb line has been set and Israel will be judged for how well she conforms.

Do we have a "plumb line" we are to live by? What might it be? What tells us that our lives are aligned, that we are living as we ought to live? You may have suspected already that our plumb line is no one and nothing less than Jesus and the example he set for us. We are in plumb when we love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength and when we love others as we love ourselves. This means we all are likely "out of plumb" far more often than not. But if we learn to stop everything now and then, get out the plumb line, and conduct a quick test, we can start to bring ourselves back into alignment before we get too far out of sync with God's will. 

A plumb line is a quick and basic test we can do daily to see how well we are giving praise and glory to God and showing God's love to others. How is your plumb line today?
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