God's Plumb Line

God’s Plumb Line

Scripture: Amos 3:3; 7:7-8; Numbers 23:19; Isaiah 28:16

Last week I shared with you my message titled “Being Independent Together.” I opened the message with what was recorded in the third chapter of the book of Amos. Amos 3:3 says, “Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?” At the close of the message I told you that for Christians to be independent together with God requires us to come into agreement with Him. As Amos said, two cannot walk together if there is no agreement. We love the saying “Won’t He Do It!” because we know that God can do all things. When we come into agreement with Him, we can depend on Him “doing it” – whatever that “it” is for us in the moment. But we also have a role to play. We must come into agreement with Him in order to walk with Him. We must come into agreement with Him in order for Him “to do it.” Unlike our personal relationships, where each person gives and takes in order to form an agreement, when it comes to our relationship with God, we are to come into agreement with Him. There is no give and take which I will explain more later in the message. God has a standard and it is our responsibility to learn it, know it, accept it and then live by it. Believe me when I tell you that the interpretation of the standard can be different depending on who you are talking to, but God knows what it is and it does not change. This morning I want to encourage you to set aside what you think you know and start searching. We cannot meet a standard that we do not know exists. The title of my message this morning is “God’s Plumb Line.”

When I was a young man, I worked sometimes with my grandfather during the summer building or repairing houses. My grandfather was a carpenter, mason, electrician, and plumber; a true “jack of all trades” of which he mastered. Once when I was working with him on a new house, we were working on the foundation for which the home would be built on. I watched as my grandfather took a string and tied it from one end of the foundation to the next creating a straight, balanced line. I asked him what the purpose of the string was and he told me that it would be used to ensure that the foundation wall was built straight and level. Based on the line created by this string, we began building the wall of the foundation. That string actually ensured that the wall was straight regardless of the slope of the yard. I was amazed at how he did that and knew it was a gift from God.

As we worked on the wall, my grandfather would check the wall, constantly comparing it to the string. Then he would hold up a leveler to ensure that everything was where it was supposed to be. His string gave him the guide that he needed to make sure the walls were straight. I remembered this when I was repairing my fence at our previous home. Mr. Ernest came over to help me and sure enough, when he saw the slope of the yard the first thing he did was put up a plumb line. He ran the line from one end of the fence to the other and that plumb line made sure that the boards we were putting up followed the slope of the yard and was even all the way down. He also showed me some new tricks to ensure that the space between each board was even and squared. My point in telling you this is that the plumb lines that my grandfather and Mr. Ernest used were the guides to make sure the foundation and my fence were built correctly. I won’t tell you what my fence looked like when I repaired it alone without a plumb line.

God has a plumb line. He has a standard. He knows where He wants us to be and how we should get there and He has provided a path for us if we are willing to take it. As we go through this message this morning, I want you to think about your plumb line. The reason we need to think about this is because if your plumb line is based on mine, then your plumb line is not secure. If your plumb line is based on your parents, friend, society, or any other standard for which you are basing your standards on, then your plumb line is not secure. The kinds of instruments we use to measure our life will often determine what we uncover and how we face life in general. When we begin to examine our plumb lines, if they are faulty – based on the world’s standard of right and wrong – our assessments of where we are will be faulty. When our assessments are off – when they are different from God’s assessments – we cannot course correct to mirror our plumb lines to God’s.