The repair of the retaining wall has been a great illustration of the necessity for a solid, level foundation for our lives. Because it was only a short section of wall and I lacked necessary stakes for a line, I made the decision to level one block according to the adjacent block, filling in from the exposed corner to the buried side. What happened was similar to when we played "telephone" as kids, a group activity when one person whispers a phrase or sentence in the ear of the person next to them and the message is repeated down the line. The best part of the game is when the phrase derails and becomes hilarious with nonsense that is nothing like the original sentence. While this is a fun party game when the phrase is way off, it is not good when building a wall. Since the first course was not fully removed, every block needed adjusting.
Looking at the wall from the broad side, it looks quite even and level. But looking down the wall lengthwise, all the irregularities and imperfections are exposed. My best efforts on the wall using what I had on hand is an example that without the plumb line of God's word and wisdom, spiritually speaking we all fall woefully short of God's perfection. God used a plumb line as an illustration in Amos 7:7-9: "Thus He
showed me: Behold, the Lord stood on a wall made with a plumb line, with
a plumb line in His hand. 8 And the
LORD said to me, "Amos, what do
you see?" And I said, "A plumb line." Then the Lord said: "Behold, I am setting a plumb line in
the midst of My people Israel; I will not pass by
them anymore. 9 The high places of Isaac shall be desolate, and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste. I will rise with the sword against the house of Jeroboam." A plumb line takes guesswork out of the equation, and it is only a matter of time before a wall out of plumb will fail. God had given the plumb line of His word and established Israel in righteousness, but judgment was coming because of how crooked God's people had become.
Notice that the LORD stood on a wall made with a plumb line, and because it was built correctly it remained strong, straight and upright. It could support weight properly and perform the function it was designed to do. The children of Israel were given the Law of God, yet they were not able to keep it. God's law is like a perfect straight edge that reveals how crooked we are, and the only way to be made right with God is through repentance for our sin and placing our faith in Jesus Christ. It does us no good to justify our errors because we were simply following the example of others or the finished results don't matter because of all the effort we put in: plumb is plumb. None of us started plumb, and we can't straighten ourselves out no matter how hard we try. Praise God He is able to save us, to make us new creations built on a level, solid foundation by faith in Jesus through the Gospel. Those who hear the words of Jesus and heed them He likens to a man who builds his house on a rock that will stand and endure every storm.
Should our lives veer off course, rather than comparing ourselves to one another we do well to look to Jesus Christ, the Chief Cornerstone. The LORD speaks with absolute authority as one who holds the plumb line in his hand and sees clearly, and by the power of the Holy Spirit He guides us into all truth. When we resort to copying others or doing what is right in our own eyes, we cannot straighten up. We can can have confidence we will not be led astray or go crooked when we seek the LORD, humble ourselves before Jesus and obey Him.
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