Out of Line with God

These are serious words that God is saying to His people through Amos. They are heading for disaster because of their refusal to follow God’s instructions for the safety and wellbeing of their lives. They have decided that they know best!
When a plumb line is held up alongside a wall under construction, there can be no doubt as to whether the wall has been built truly vertical. Walls which are out of line are very vulnerable to collapse. A plumb line lies perfectly vertical because of the physical law of gravity, which requires only that the surveyor hold it up and allow the weight to come to rest.
Whenever God’s people are leading lives that are out of line with Him and likely to bring destruction upon themselves, it is very important that someone lifts up the truth of God’s word to allow His spiritual laws to show the straight line. Those that hold up a biblical plumb line are not themselves the measure of truth, but merely God’s surveyors whom He has equipped to show that straight line.
We have a choice to acknowledge or to ignore this line, but it would be foolish to be angry with the surveyor. It is amazing how a bricklayer can convince himself that the wall, which he is building, is perfectly vertical. It is only when he steps back and views his work alongside the surveyor’s plumb line that the truth becomes evident. It can be a shocking moment if a distortion is exposed, but how much better it is to discover the misalignment now rather than at collapse.
In these challenging days of a desperate need for Godly discernment, we should be thankful for those whom God gives to us for the purpose of holding up His straight line. They will not be perfect people but we should look for those who demonstrate spiritual maturity in both their words and their behaviour, for we ignore them at our peril.