Created for Work ~ Ch. 18 "The Plumbline"

"Important principals may, and must be, inflexible."

~ Abraham Lincoln

For those of you not familiar with the term, a "plumbline" is a line (as of cord) that is weighted at one end and is used especially to determine the verticality or straightness of something (you can make a simple one by taking a piece of string and tying a rock to one end). And when we say something is "plumb", we mean that it is exactly straight or true.

~

Accurate measurements and calculations are fundamental to any project. They form the foundation of all well-laid plans.

~ 

With them, you're sure to succeed. Without them, you're toast.

~

With them, you can work smoothly, knowing the particular specifications your project must meet. Without them, your work will be slow and full of the unecessary hinderances which arise from poor planning.

~

With them, everything will fall into place in the end. Without them, forget it.

~

Notice the word "accurate". It's not enough to just have measurements and calculations. They must be accurate measurements and calculations. Any other kind is insufficient, misleading, and ultimately harmful. The importance of this fact cannot be over-stated.

~

Furthermore, if accurate measurements and calculations are key in earthly affairs, are they not even more important in eternal affairs? If it is essential that houses and towers be built plumb and square and level, is it not much more essential that lives be so? Indeed, yes. A rock and a piece of string serves as a trustworthy plumbline to build a house by; and the Bible serves as a trustworthy plumbline to live by. God's Word is the universal plumbline, the only thing by which a man may accurately measure himself and his work.   

~

Sadly, many people do not acknowledge this to be the case. They ignore the Bible and the divine instructions it gives. They throw away the yardstick God has provided them, and then substitute their own. They arrogantly assume they can live by their own rules. Some live based on how they feel; others let selfish desires take control; still others have no rule but lawlessness. In every case, the end result is misery, chaos, and failure.

~

If our lives, including the way we work and do business, do not match up with the specifications given in the Bible, we're headed for disaster. Bob Schultz says, "Some folks mistakenly think that the Bible is for the religious world and not the business world. That kind of thinking leads any society into chaos. God intended His Word to be the standard measurement for industry and commerce. By it, men exchange goods and services in a way where everyone profits. Wherever men align their businesses with a practical understanding of the Bible, their society prospers."

~

"Suppose," Schultz continues, "you go to a garage sale and see a $600 table saw with a $200 sign on it. You've been looking for one just like it. Do you slap down the cash and buy it before somebody else sees it? Maybe, but maybe not. As you talk with the woman holding the garage sale, you find that her husband died six months before and she is selling his tools to help make ends meet. She has no clue to the worth of the saw. What is the right thing to do? Here's a quote from God's Plumbline, 'Woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees... To turn aside the needy from judgment, and to take away the right from the poor of my people, that widows may be their prey, and that they may rob the fatherless!' (Isaiah 10:1-2). If you ever take advantage of a widow in  a business transaction, watch out. God will surely reprove you. Look through the Bible, observe God's heart for widows, and align with Him. If you need that table saw, buy it. However, don't pay the $200 dollars she ignorantly asked for. If you have it, pay the $600 it's worth before someone else comes along and takes advantage of her. If you dont have $600, tell her what it's worth and offer her as much as you can. That's God's standard."

~

The Bible is the godly business man's instruction manuel. He aligns his work with it and with it alone. He rejects personal feelings, selfish desires, and lawlessness as contrary to God's commands. He measures his business by God's Word, and flourishes accordingly.  "The simple rock and string set the standard for every building in the world, from the skyscrapers of New York to the wooden huts in the Congo. The simple Bible, in the same way, sets the standard for business and work, from the most complex corporation to the lemonade stand on the sidewalk. As you go about life's business, may you learn to be a good builder, aligning all your affairs with God's Plumbline."

"Thus he showed me: and, behold, the Lord stood upon a wall made by a plumbline, with a plumbline in his hand. And the Lord said unto me, Amos, what seest thou? And I said, A plumbline. Then said the Lord, Behold, I will set a plumbline in the midst of my people Israel..."

~ Amos 7:7-8

* * *

Persevero,