In Scripture God uses the idea of a plumb line to describe what He is doing with His people. God built His people like a straight wall–true to plumb. When we depart from Him, one of our problems is that we do not realize how far we have departed. We often don’t understand how seriously we have
strayed from Him. We may not realize how close we are to complete collapse or destruction. In order to help His people God holds a plumb line beside His people so they can see how far they have departed.
The Leaning Tower of Pisa is a physical example of our problem. The walls are straight, but the whole building is leaning. The problem is with the foundation. If the foundation were firm and in line the walls would be in line as well. If we had a huge crane that could pull the walls to plumb again, the problem would still exist just as soon as we let the tower loose. Without a solid foundation the tower will fall right back to its crooked state.
In a similar way your spiritual life has its foundation in a love relationship with God. The way you live your life, your practice of your faith, your obedience to God’s commands can be represented by the tower. If your life is out of line with God’s plan, that is only the visible symptom of a root problem. The problem is in your love relationship. Jesus said, “He who does not love me will not obey my teaching” (John 14:24) but “if anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching” (John 14:23).
God’s Word reveals God Himself, His purposes, and His ways. The Scriptures serve as His plumb line for us. When we can see that we have departed from His ideals, His purposes, His ways, and His commands, we can know clearly that we have a problem. The problem is that we have left our love relationship with Him. You cannot love God correctly and not obey Him. It is spiritually impossible. If you are not obeying Him, it is because you do not love Him.
Just changing your ways is not sufficient. Unless your love relationship with God is repaired, you will eventually go back to your old ways of living. The only lasting motivation for obedience to God is a sound love relationship with Him. If your love relationship with God is right, your life will line up with His standards. (CLAUDE V. KING)