Keeping to the Line
by Malcolm Wood
Due to an inherent eye defect, all my life I have found it very difficult to cut, saw or draw a straight line without the use of a set square, ruler or similar aid. Similarly, with fixing a shelf that has to be level or drilling a perpendicular hole which doesn’t veer off at a tangent, for me a spirit level is an essential piece of equipment. It’s a fact that what appears, at first, to be an almost insignificant divergence from the true or level line can have a drastic effect further down the line, whether it be levelling a shelf or laying the foundations of a building. In some cases, such seemingly little inaccuracies can be disastrous, and, at the extreme end of the scale, can cause loss of life.
In our lives as Christians, we need to be on our guard to ensure we’re not deviating from God’s ideal line for the way we live our lives. In the rule book for life which God has given us, the Bible, He shows us how He expects us to live. In fact, He’s done even better than that, He sent His son Jesus as a living demonstration of how we should live and behave. How do you measure up?
It’s now over two thousand years since Jesus was here on earth, times have changed and we’re in a different culture, but God hasn’t changed, and neither have His precepts. It’s so easy to succumb to the pressures of society, its fads, fashions and false philosophies, that we take our eye off the plumb line of God’s truth. The danger is that one small compromise can become an all-consuming life style.
It’s so important in these days of instant mass communication. With continual messages trying to make us conform to the world’s standards, we must become completely familiar with the plumb line of God’s truth and, more importantly, with ‘the Way, the Truth, and the Life’, Jesus Himself.
Let’s take to heart God’s words to Joshua, ‘Study this Book of the Law continually. Meditate on it day and night so you may be sure to obey all that is written in it. Only then will you succeed’ (Joshua 1:8).
Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You for Your word. Please forgive me for not reading it as much as I should. Help me to value it more and to gain a deeper understanding of Your truth through it. Please help me to apply Your truth in my life to ensure that I keep in line with what You require of me. Amen.
Malcolm Wood and his wife Anna became part of the Ellel family as House Managers at Ellel Grange in 1990. Since then they have been involved with many aspects of the developing Ministry. From 2001 until 2015 they were Directors of Ellel Scotland where they hosted several International Schools and Operation Blairmore and helped pioneer the exciting Creative Inspiration Weeks. They have three sons.
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