Aligned with God

 “He showed me this: The Lord was standing there by a vertical wall with a plumb line in his hand” (Amos 7:7, Christian Standard Bible).

Sometimes I become excited about a project before considering how much work it will entail. When I decided to paint stripes to create an accent wall, I knew it would take a while. I wasn’t in a rush, so it really didn’t matter. Or at least those were my thoughts on Day One. The project did start easily enough, but it wasn’t quick and certainly wasn’t easy. You can’t paint stripes without lines. Lines must be straight. They must be evenly spaced,  straight up and down, not drifting left or right. If one line went astray, it would be easy for others to follow. All of them had to be in plumb.

I needed some tools to get this right, so I gathered up a carpenter’s level, blue painter’s tape, a pencil, and a ruler. Oh, and a ladder to precariously balance upon. Many hours of work later, I had an (almost) perfectly striped wall. Fortunately, it was a very small wall, or I’d still be painting.

If you are like me, things need to be straight, aligned correctly, or they bother me. My eye will constantly go back to that one point of imperfection. Who wants to look at a shelf or picture with one corner tilted down? Or drive a car out of alignment? Or look at flooring not installed straight?

And who wants to live a life out of alignment with God? Not me.

It does take the right tools to keep our lives straight. We need the Word of God, a good prayer life, biblical preaching by our pastor, and fellowship with other believers. Just as I had to touch up some of my painted lines on the wall, many times I must work to get myself in plumb with God’s Word and His will. It can be time-consuming, and I may not always feel like making the effort. But I must. If one area of my life does not conform to the Word of God, then soon other areas will also be out of alignment. I cannot allow that to happen.

I must make the effort each day to be perfectly aligned. I want the favor of God upon my life. I want to make Heaven my eternal home.

I want to be in plumb with God’s measurement. I want to “live straight.”

“Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it” (Matthew 7:14).

Prayer: Lord, Your Word is important to me. It is my plumb line, showing me areas of my life that are not aligned with Your will. Help me to always desire to live a life that conforms to Your commandments, a life that is pleasing to You. I seek Your favor upon my life every day.