“How Do You Measure Up?”

 

BIBLE READING: Amos 7-9

    

                The end of the book of Amos includes visions that the Lord shows him about His judgment of Israel.  While each has its importance, there is one that always fascinates me.  It’s the one about a plumb line.  If you’re unfamiliar with what a plumb line is, it is a device used in surveying land, or construction, or measuring the depth of water.  It consists of a string with a weight attached to it.  Often, it will be suspended by a tripod, but once it is allowed to become still, it will show the true vertical position and a straight line simply based on gravity alone.

              In Amos 7:8, God tells Amos, “…Behold, I am setting a plumb line in the midst of My people Israel; I will not pass by them anymore.”  Just as God was setting a plumb line up against the Israelites to see who was truly following Him, and who needed to be punished, God sets a plumb line up against us.  It is up to us to continue to pursue and see how vertical, and how tall we can stand up against God’s plumb line.  Fortunately, He’s given it to us in the Bible.  It’s up to us to make sure that we measure up to His standards.

 

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