Amos 7:8 “The LORD said to me, ‘What do you see, Amos?’ And I said, ‘A plumb line.’ Then the Lord said, ‘Behold I am about to put a plumb line in the midst of My people Israel. I will spare them no longer.’”
KEEPING IT PLUMB
Most of us today have no idea what a plumb line is? Do you? It was a tool used by a builder to make sure the walls were straight and not leaning. It could be just about anything with weight tied to a string which would hang down from a stick or board right next to the wall you were building. Now we have laser levels and all other kinds of devices to do the same thing.
The bottom line is if you don’t keep the wall straight (plumb) as you are building, it won’t stand and the structure will be unsafe. The same is true with our spiritual lives. We have to keep our lives built on the sure foundation. We must make sure we are standing true. We must keep checking our “plumb line” of faith to ensure we aren’t leaning to the right or to the left.
TEACHING MOMENT
This is a fun verse to show our kids and demonstrate. Get a plumb line or a level and go around and check out the walls in your house. See if you can find an unlevel wall. Show them a picture of the leaning tower of Pisa, probably the most well known “unplumb” building in the world.
But don’t make this just a structural exercise. Bring out the Word. Explain that the Word is the ONLY sure foundation. It is also the “device” we use to make sure we are staying plumb. It will keep us straight if we are in it daily. It will make sure we don’t crumble into a heap on the ground.
Have you checked your level lately? Are you staying true to God’s Word? God has given you the tools to make sure of that. Prayer, His Word, and Christian brothers and sisters can all help us stay on the level. But we also have to allow Him, when we get off plumb, to tear us down and rebuild us. He wants us to be standing firm, not leaning in the wrong direction.
A Moment In Time 