The Plumb Line

The Plumb Line

I saw the Lord standing beside a wall that had been built using a plumb line. He was using a plumb line to see if it was still straight. . . . And the Lord replied, “I will test my people with this plumb line. I will no longer ignore all their sins.”

Amos 7:7-8

Look! I am placing a foundation stone in Jerusalem, a firm and tested stone. It is a precious cornerstone that is safe to build on. Whoever believes need never be shaken. I will test you with the measuring line of justice and the plumb line of righteousness.

Isaiah 28:16-17

Everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.

Romans 3:23

Have you ever hung wallpaper or watched someone who has? One of the most important things to do when hanging wallpaper is to use a plumb line. You put a weight on the end of a piece of string and hang it from the ceiling to use as a guide for marking straight lines. Without the help of a plumb line, the edges of the wallpaper won’t match up, and everything will be crooked.

God uses a plumb line too—a clear standard that shows us how we should live. He knows that we have the tendency to compare ourselves to other people and that using other people as our standard causes us to end up “crooked.” His plumb line is his own perfect holiness.

We don’t have to wonder what God expects of us. He has given us a plumb line that shows us when we’re wandering off course. We see it in the Ten Commandments and even more clearly in the only one who ever lived a life lined up with the plumb line—Jesus Christ. And because God knows we will never live up to his standard of holiness, he has given us a gift—the gift of the perfect righteousness of Jesus. So when God looks at our lives, instead of seeing our crookedness, he sees Jesus’ holiness.

DISCUSSION STARTERS

When a teacher or a boss gives you an assignment, how does it feel when there are no clear guidelines about what he or she expects?

What Scripture verses can you think of that provide a plumb line for us—something to keep us headed in the right direction?

How do we keep from feeling defeated by our inability to live up to the perfection of the plumb line?