LIGHT YOUR CANDLE, REFLECT, & MEDITATE

The Plumbline of Becoming: Give Ear to God’s Word

Reading the Scriptures has caused me to realize that I

will never be at the state of being, but forever at the plumbline of

becoming by virtue of my spiritual learning experiences which

are supported by a commitment to high standards of morality and by me

controlling my ego, embracing humility, and working on my moral life (Person,

2006). This thought drives my thinking about hearing and obeying the Word of

God.

The Word of God equals the foundation stone, the cornerstone, and the solid

rock on which life’s foundations are built. God’s Word is the “plumbline” of our

existence. A plumbline is literally defined as a tool used by builders to form and

regulate a perfect perpendicular in erecting walls. It is a small weight on the end

of a line used to see if a wall is vertical. No building or edifice will stand if the

walls don’t form a perfect perpendicular with the foundation. Out-of-plumb or

off-plumb means not vertical. Plumb is straight. Biblical writers used the

figurative and symbolic meaning of plumbline to focus on human behavior

because Divine Truth (God’s Word) is symbolically the plumbline in the erection

of a moral and spiritual edifice - a person’s body, life, personality, mindset, or

worldview. The plumbline is also seen as symbolic of justice and uprightness in

dealing with our fellowmen and women and as a perfect emblem of uprightness.

Human progression in moral, ethical and spiritual development can be

shown in symbol and allegory with most of the allegory founded on the practices

of constructive building under the supervision of an architect. God is the Supreme

Architect, Builder, and Creator of life. The building crafts lend themselves well to

this mode of symbolical interpretation. A sound foundation, a sturdy well-

balanced structure, appropriate furnishings as well as the significance of the tools

and implements required such as the measuring rule, the square, chisel, plumbline,

compasses, and many more can have application to human conduct, behavior,

personality, mindset, worldview, and spiritual being.

If indeed God’s Word is the plumbline of our existence, how are we to

receive it? Through the annals of time the command to “hear” and “obey” the

Word of the Lord has existed as evidenced in the Bible: “O earth, earth, earth,

hear the word of the Lord” (Jeremiah 22:29 KJV); ...“I will make them hear My

words that they may learn to fear Me all the days that they live upon the earth, and

that they may teach their children” (Deuteronomy 4:10 Holy Scriptures); and ...

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“Hear, O Israel, the statutes and the ordinance which I speak in your ears this day,

that ye may learn them, and observe to do them” (Deuteronomy 5:1 Holy

Scriptures).

The master carpenter Jesus tells the story in Matthew 7:24-27 (KJV) of two

builders who have experience with building crafts and laying out foundations for

edifices or structures. One man wisely constructs his house on a rock foundation;

however, the other foolishly constructs his on a foundation of sand. Tumultuous

(stormy) air and water in the form of rain, winds, and floods beat upon the two

foundations. The foundation built on rock stood while the one built on sand fell

and was leveled with the ground. Concluding the parable, Jesus likened

disobedient hearers of words of instruction to the builder who foolishly

constructed his building on a sand foundation.

I have tried to follow the wonderful teachings of Jesus in my attempts to

constructively build a strong moral, ethical, and spiritual foundation for my life by

having a commitment to high standards of morality and to building a stronger,

humble, and ethical ego. To hear and obey the Word of God I developed a

meditation based on Matthew 7:24-27 and use it daily. Please find it on the

following pages.

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