“Sanctify them in the truth; Your Word is truth.” John 17:17
Wise people are those who line-up their lives according to God’s plumb line rather than trying to move that plumb line to line-up with their own agendas.
C.S. Lewis once said, "You never know a line is crooked unless you have a straight line to put next to it." It is so true.
A plumb line is a tool that masons use to ensure that the wall they are building remains level and straight.
I took a trip to Mexico a few years ago and found out the hard way that they do not have a 'code of standard' for each step to be the same height as the next step. I can't tell you how many times I tripped up and down the steps! It was almost a daily occurrence! I was so used to the standards in America that I "assumed" that each step I took would be the same height. This assumption was not safe. I had to give focused attention whenever I took the stairs and account for this different measurement. I had to be intentional so that I would not keep falling.
It is the same in life. Our principles are the standards that we live by, the straight lines that we can use to make decisions. They guide us as we set priorities, relate with people, do our work, and champion what is important to us. How we go about making decisions and choosing our actions to make a difference matters. Unless we establish a 'true north' for making decisions we will be ineffective to make a lasting impact in the different areas of our life.
What is your true north? The compass that guides you in all of your decisions? Does it give you a straight line to measure your thoughts and actions? How do you know if what you are doing is right or wrong? When life is not fair do you react or respond to the situation? Is it bringing life or destruction?
For me, many years ago that compass was established when I received Jesus into my life. The Holy Bible became the guidance and control system in my life. God became the architect of my life and I surrendered my life to Him. Jesus said, "But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, who the Father will send in My name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have told you." John 14:26
The Holy Spirit leads me in truth, teaches me how to follow His ways each and every day. He is my counselor and the One who consoles me through life's journey. The Bible became the best plumb line for me to make decisions and lead a life that is pleasing to Him. God became my Father and I became His daughter ...what Father does not want good things for their children?
2 Corinthians 6:18 "And I will be a Father to you, and you will be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty."
I learned that I cannot rely on what "feels good" because that is not a safe plum line. It's like the uneven steps in Mexico - our emotions and experience can change often and can lead us off the right path. I rely on the predetermined standards outlined in God's Word to chart each step of the way for me. When things do not go my way or the way that I think they should I can trust that He will give me the wisdom to respond in the right way that will bring life to situations and in some cases I have to entrust the things that concern me to Him. I have learned over time, that if it is God's will for my life He will make it happen in His timing and in His way. ...and over time I have learned that His ways are higher than mine, and His ways are always better.
Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight."
Philippians 2:13 "For it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure."
Principled living is learning what God's standard is
and then living that out each and every day.
What is your True North to make a lasting impact in your thoughts and actions?
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