We are LIVING Stones

1 Peter 2:4-6 (NKJV)
Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture,
     “Behold, I lay in Zion
     A chief cornerstone, elect, precious,
     And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame.”

In this text, Jesus is likened to a Stone foundation, in fact here He is called the Chief Cornerstone.  He is also referred to as a Living Stone, to indicate that He is the source of life to ALL His followers.

Peter tells us that people who follow Jesus are likewise like Living stones.  This reveals that it is in union with Christ that we live, move and have our being.  See the stones of a building are of no real use unless they occupy their proper places in a building, and rest securely on the foundation.  Stones dislodged from a building that are no longer connected to the building are no longer considered building material or useful but instead are generally referred to as rubble; defined as fragments of broken stones & bricks.  But those who build their house on Jesus, on the unadulterated and pure Word, then like the wise man who built his home upon the rocks, come what may, you’re Still Standing!

There is actually a plant called living stones (a/k/a Lithops), they look very much like the rocks they are growing near.  The difference being of course that they are not rocks but actually a plant native to South Africa.  They range in color from gray to brown to green with varied patterns on top.  Although it looks like a rock, during late summer a single daisy like flower will bloom from each plant.  Similarly, we are living stones, we look like everyone else by way of our outward appearance; yet we are different; for we, through God, are made fully alive.  Moreover, when we are properly nourished by the Word of God, and reach maturity just like Lithops you can see us begin to blossom, flower and bear good fruit!

To God Be The Glory

The weeks of Advent remind us to set aside some time during the holiday season to reflect on our faith. The Bible readings we will read echo the Advent themes of waiting, preparation, hope, and the coming of the promised Messiah.

Immanuel, God With Us by Ann Spangler

from Immanuel: A Daily Guide to Reclaiming Christmas

The Name
The name Immanuel appears twice in the Hebrew Scriptures and once in the New Testament. In Greek, it is rendered Emmanouel. One of the most comforting of all the names and titles of Jesus, it is literally translated with us is God or, as Matthew’s Gospel puts it, God with us. When our sins made it impossible for us to come to Him, God took the outrageous step of coming to us, of making Himself susceptible to sorrow, familiar with temptation, and vulnerable to sin’s disruptive power, in order to cancel its claim.


In Jesus we see how extreme God’s love is.

Remember this the next time you feel discouraged, abandoned, or too timid to undertake some new endeavor.  For Jesus is still Immanuel — He is still God with us.

Key Scriptures
Then Isaiah said, “Hear now, you house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of human beings? Will you try the patience of my God also? Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a Son, and will call Him Immanuel.” — Isaiah 7:13–14

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call Him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). — Matthew 1:22–23

Reflecting on the Name 
How have you experienced Immanuel — God being with you, in your life thus far? Matthew begins and ends his Gospel (see Matthew 28:20) with the promises that God is with us. How would your life be different if you began and ended each day with the firm belief that God is with you? What does this title of Jesus reveal about His nature?

Prayer
Immanuel, I praise You for Your faithful love — drawing near when I was far from You. Instead of casting me away from Your presence, You came to call me home. Instead of punishing me for my sins, You came to free me from them. Immanuel, my God, You are here with me today. Live in me and glorify Your Name, I pray.

Click the link to read the entire Devotional -- Immanuel, God With Us

To God Be The Glory

The weeks of Advent remind us to set aside some time during the holiday season to reflect on our faith. The Bible readings we will read echo the Advent themes of waiting, preparation, hope, and the coming of the promised Messiah.

Children of the Light

Ephesians 5:8-14 (New Century Version)
In the past you were full of darkness, but now you are full of light in the Lord. So live like children who belong to the light.  Light brings every kind of goodness, right living, and truth.  Try to learn what pleases the Lord.  Have nothing to do with the things done in darkness, which are not worth anything.  But show that they are wrong.  It is shameful even to talk about what those people do in secret. But the light makes all things easy to see, and everything that is made easy to see can become light. This is why it is said:
“Wake up, sleeper!
    Rise from death,
and Christ will shine on you.”

Have you ever entered a dark room, possibly your own, and everything appears okay because it's dark. But the moment you turn on the light ... WHOA!  In the light, you see everything that's out of place that you weren't readily able to make out while in the dark!
It can also happen when you replace a light bulb that was growing dim, and now the new bulb shines brightly, so much so, that you are able to see smudge marks on the walls, dirt on the floor, furniture in need of repair, or other items that may not have stood out so much in the dim lighting.

In the spiritual, the same type of thing takes place when we are transferred from the kingdom of darkness (our old carnal self) to the Kingdom of Light, (our new self / life IN Christ).  Things that used to seem okay, we can now more clearly see are out of order and not pleasing to God.

When we enter the Light (new life IN Christ), transformation of our character should happen little by little. And if, after walking with God for a while, you find that you are still very comfortable in and with all your spiritual messiness, you need to ask yourself if you are truly LIVING in the light as God intended!

Prayer
Search me God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.  See if there is any offensive way in me, and bring it to my attention so I may repent.  Lead me Lord in the way You would have me to go.  Help me to live a life that is pleasing to You; and to always walk in the Light for that is where You are and thus where my help and every good thing is!  In Jesus name I pray.  Amen.


To God Be The Glory

The weeks of Advent remind us to set aside some time during the holiday season to reflect on our faith. The Bible readings we will read echo the Advent themes of waiting, preparation, hope, and the coming of the promised Messiah.

Walk in the Light

John 12:35-36 (New International Version)
Then Jesus told them, “You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. Whoever walks in the dark does not know where they are going.  Believe in the light while you have the light, so that you may become children of light.” When he had finished speaking, Jesus left and hid himself from them.

We are instructed by Jesus to Walk in the Light while there is yet day.  We are advised to make good use of our daylight hours so as not to be consumed by the darkness.

The reality is, this is a dark and dying world; and as such, it is easy to get distracted if we take our eyes off the Light!  This means we have to have a sho nuff relationship with Him; so that when everyone is acting strange from playing in the dark too long; WE will not fall prey to their sickness for we will know & remember what it means to Walk in the Light!

Jesus goes on to say whoever walks in darkness does not know where they are going, they are lost and without hope. Have you ever driven down a dark highway that you were unfamiliar with?  It can be a very unnerving experience!  The same is true for the dark streets of LIFE!  When we fail to look to and walk in the light Jesus already provided for us, we can become easily unhinged, unnerved and afraid, which is not the existence God intended for us.  But thankfully the remedy is simple:  simply remember to keep your High Beams on and Walk in His Light!

Walking in the light, beautiful light;

ain't it wonderful how the light shines?

Trusting in the light, beautiful light;

ain't it wonderful how the light shines.

Walk in the light, beautiful light,

come where the dewdrops of mercy shine bright.

Oh shine all around us by day and by night,

Jesus is, Jesus is the light of the world;

To God Be The Glory

The weeks of Advent remind us to set aside some time during the holiday season to reflect on our faith. The Bible readings we will read echo the Advent themes of waiting, preparation, hope, and the coming of the promised Messiah.

Just Enough Light for the Step I'm On

Light for Each Step
July 27, 1994 — by Richard De Haan

Someone has observed, “He who carries a lantern on a dark road at night sees only one step ahead. When he takes that step, the lamp moves forward and another step is made plain. He finally reaches his destination in safety without once walking in darkness. All the way is lighted, but only a single step at a time. This is the method of God’s guidance.”

When a person receives the Lord Jesus as Savior, he knows his ultimate destination and is assured of his safe arrival. But the dark cloud of the unknown can veil the pilgrim pathway. Potential pitfalls, lurking dangers, and tragic missteps often upset the weary traveler and rob him of the peace and confidence the Lord intended for him to enjoy.

But as the child of God refuses to worry about tomorrow and trusts Him for today, he finds by the light of God’s Word the grace and guidance for every situation in life. Even as a lantern illuminates each new step on a dark road at night, so the lamp of Scripture provides light on our pathway.

It isn't necessary to see beyond what the Lord reveals. Following His leading, there’s always enough light for each step of the way!

He does not lead me year by year,
Nor even day by day;
But step by step my path unfolds—
My Lord directs my way. —Ryberg

No need to fear the darkness tomorrow if you’re walking in God’s light today.

____________________________________________

Additional resource for personal devotion to allow God's word to light your every step.

"Learning to walk with God is a journey. The questions and directions in this prayer and study guide will help you to examine your walk with God and do what is necessary to strengthen, deepen, and enhance it. As you walk in faith through difficult times, this prayerful workbook will help you see how faithfully God’s light attends each step and moment of your life."
—Stormie Omartian, Author of Just Enough Light for the Step I’m On 


To God Be The Glory

The weeks of Advent remind us to set aside some time during the holiday season to reflect on our faith. The Bible readings we will read echo the Advent themes of waiting, preparation, hope, and the coming of the promised Messiah.

Blue Christmas

Psalms 43:3-5
Send me your light and your faithful care, let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy mountain, to the place where you dwell. Then I will go to the altar of God, to God, my joy and my delight.  I will praise you with the lyre, O God, my God.

Why, my soul, are you downcast?  Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.

Blue Christmas is a very real phenomenon!  Although there may be many who look forward with gleeful anticipation to this season, there are still others, who through loss of loved ones, financial strain, or health issues; or those who find their families in sudden crisis, find this time of year a very lonely and painful time.

The reality is, that although the light of God is in the World, and although you yourself have accepted the truth, that does not exclude you from experiencing both the ups and the downs of real life.

In today's text, King David a man after God's own heart is experiencing such a time of discouragement and despair.  But thankfully, he knows the answer to his dilemma! To continue to praise the name of the Lord! The truth is, when we make the conscious decision to open our mouths to give God praise, despite our circumstance, despite our fickle emotions, the enemy who has come to oppress us with fear, doubt, depression and self-pity cannot remain, but must FLEE.  If you dare open your mouth and bless God with the fruit of your lips, in the midst of it; you will see a shift in your countenance, and feel a lift in your spirit. The gray fog and haze will quickly pass away, and the Peace of God, which passes all understanding, and the joy of the Lord, which is your strength, will be your new and constant companions!

To God Be The Glory

The weeks of Advent remind us to set aside some time during the holiday season to reflect on our faith. The Bible readings we will read echo the Advent themes of waiting, preparation, hope, and the coming of the promised Messiah.

A Different Kind of Christmas by Sharon Jaynes

"Give and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measure to you." -- Luke 6:38

Friend to Friend
Of all the Christmases that Mike Wekall remembers, his seventh stands out from all the rest. Mike was the fifth of six Wekall children. Like every child, Mike met December with the anticipation of new toys, freshly baked goodies, glittering decorations, and school vacation. But one week before Christmas, Mike’s parents called the children into the den.

"Kids, I’ve have some bad news for you," Mr. Wekall said, barely able to look his children in the eye. "As you know, things have been pretty tight at work this year. In fact, we are going to have to file bankruptcy, so we won’t have Christmas this year. I’m sorry. Maybe we can make it up to you next year." Then he quietly walked out of the room.

The children just sat there for a while in silence. Mike thought to himself, "What does he mean 'we won’t have Christmas'? Does that mean I’ve been bad and Santa isn’t going to come? And what is bankruptcy?"

It was a confusing time for little Mike, but one thing became perfectly clear on Christmas morning--Christmas had not come to the Wekall house. No presents were under a tree, and the aroma of a roasting turkey did not come from the kitchen. The family did, however, go off to church that crisp, cold morning. When they arrived at church, all the other children were sporting new clothes and chattering about what they had found under their trees.

"Hey, Mike, what’d you get?" one asked.

“Nothin'. We didn’t have Christmas at our house. We’re having a bankruptcy."

"What's wrong? Have you been too bad to get anything? Didn’t you even get a few switches?"

Feeling rather blue, the family of eight went home for a lunch of lima beans and hamhocs. About an hour later, the door bell rang. "Maybe it is Santa after all," Mike thought as he ran to the door.

Standing in the doorway wasn’t Santa, but it was the Bosky family, all ten of them. Each of the eight children had smiles on their faces and two gifts in their hands. Mr. and Mrs. Bosky held a turkey dinner with all the trimmings.

As it turned out, the eight Bosky children went home from church and told their parents about how the Wekalls weren’t having Christmas this year. Seeing how they had been so richly blessed, the children decided to pick two of their toys and wrap them up for the Wekalls. Mom and Dad joined in and brought gifts for the parents. Even though Mrs. Bosky had Christmas dinner all choreographed for her own dining room, she gathered up the food in boxes and baskets to share with a family who needed it more.

That was over forty years ago, but Mike still gets tears in his eyes when he shares this story. "It was the best Christmas I have ever had," he told me. "The Spirit of God showed me that Christmas wasn’t about getting presents but about giving and caring for others. It is about showing goodness toward other people. Every year, I tell this story to someone, because it exemplifies how Christ gave so freely of Himself for us."

Let's Pray
Dear Lord, I have so much and I am surrounded by people who have so little. Show me someone I can help this Christmas. Open the eyes of my heart to see the needs of others. Make me an extension of Your lavish love. In Jesus' Name, amen.

Today's Devotional From Bible Gateway Advent Devotional

To God Be The Glory

The weeks of Advent remind us to set aside some time during the holiday season to reflect on our faith. The Bible readings we will read echo the Advent themes of waiting, preparation, hope, and the coming of the promised Messiah.