Plumb Line

 “Like living stones be yourselves built into a spiritual house.”

1 Peter 2:5

His name was George and he laid bricks.  Each day when he went to work he placed one brick on top of another and eventually a home or office building or church appeared.  One day I asked George what was the secret to laying bricks?  I knew there was more to it than meets the eye.

George said, “Two things.”  First and most important is the plumb line.  That is the standard against which all the bricks are measured.  Forget that and after a while bit by bit the wall begins to tilt and eventually fall over. The second thing is that good bricklayers will not be rushed. Before moving on to the next brick measure and re-measure what you’ve done and compare it to the architect’s plan.

The Apostle Peter used this image to describe the construction of the church – the church as the people of God.  The most important thing in that is the plumb line, the standard against which we are measured.  It is clear the life and words of Jesus Christ serve as our plumb line. He is the one to whom we measure ourselves.  Second, we need to reflect on what we’ve done and consider what we do in relationship to the architect’s plan. Spiritual growth takes time.  It cannot be rushed, so make the time to pray and study the architect’s plans so that you can stand tall and straight in the sight of God.

The building of God’s church continues, and we are the living stones God uses.  Pray that we – that you will yield yourself to His hand.

The church was your idea, O Lord. You have called us to be your body. Help us when we rely on our own plans rather than yours. Build us to be the people you’ve called us to be. Amen