Living Stones

The thought of my suffering and homelessness is bitter beyond words. I will never forget this awful time, as I grieve over my loss. Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. Lamentations 3:19‭-‬23 NLT https://bible.com/bible/116/lam.3.19-23.NLT This is perhaps the most famous quote in Lamentations 3. We're reminded of God's faithfulness and His love that are new every morning! But there are so many other lessons to be drawn from this beautiful chapter in Scripture, and I've decided to share these lessons in three parts. Today, I'd like for us to focus on verse 21: Yet I still dare hope when I remember this. These words were written during one of the darkest times in the prophet Jeremiah's life. It was a time of unspeakable suffering, where both him and his people had lost everything; their city, families, possessions and most impo...

Do not waste time arguing over godless ideas and old wives’ tales. Instead, train yourself to be godly. “Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.” 1 Timothy 4:7‭-‬8 NLT https://bible.com/bible/116/1ti.4.7-8.NLT Run from anything that stimulates youthful lusts. Instead, pursue righteous living, faithfulness, love, and peace. Enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts. 2 Timothy 2:22 NLT https://bible.com/bible/116/2ti.2.22.NLT Our society is obsessed with the need to succeed. It's ingrained in our thinking to strive for greatness. As such, we like hearing about the success stories of people who are wealthy or famous. Some of us even wish that we could be exactly like them! So we plan, fuss and fret over "life goals" eg. getting married by a certain age, children or wanting a better house, job, car etc. But my brothers and sisters, we should not think in this wa...

You made me find joy in what you have done, O Lord . I will sing joyfully about the works of your hands. How spectacular are your works, O Lord ! How very deep are your thoughts! Psalms 92:4‭-‬5 GW https://bible.com/bible/70/psa.92.4.GW Which would you rather possess, happiness or joy? Before you answer this question, I'd like for us to gain a deeper understanding of real joy. Nowadays, joy is a word that gets used rather flippantly in humourously describing how one gets out of a problem (eg. no joy?) to making a sarcastic remark about someone (eg. his reaction is a joy to behold). We've lost the meaning of joy in its truest sense, which unlike happiness, is not a passing feeling of elation or pleasure. Joy is more than a feeling or emotion. It is found only in God. In fact, joy is not a product of the soul but of the spirit. You cannot manufacture joy through motivational words or positive thinking; it transcends even the most difficult of circumstances to enable Jesus' f...

     The fruit of the righteous is like a tree producing life, and the one who wins souls is wise.      Proverbs 11:30 NET https://bible.com/bible/107/pro.11.30.NET for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth – trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. Ephesians 5:9‭-‬11 NET https://bible.com/bible/107/eph.5.9-11.NET Today I'd like to debunk a common phrase that's popped up in our modern vocubulary and its derivative train of thought: you only live once. And since you're only around on this earth for a short period of time, why don't you spend your time living for yourself? The problem with this sort of thinking is that it has resulted in an entire generation seeking only to please themselves. But, my dear brothers and sisters, we are not to follow in this practice of pleasing ourselves. We are to find out what pleases God. The central focus...

My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die. Galatians 2:20‭-‬21 NLT https://bible.com/bible/116/gal.2.20-21.NLT There is so much to unpack from these two verses alone. We live in a culture that has little regard for life. Our postmodern way of thinking has shapes us to view life through the lens of self-gratification and convenience. People willingly embrace the idea of "quality of life" to express support for abortion and euthanasia. The life of another person is treated with little respect when it is the "easier" option to take. But, my brothers and sisters, we are not to think in this way. We are to be continually transformed by the renewing of our minds (Rom 12:1-2). Life ...

  Do everything without complaining and arguing, so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people. Philippians 2:14‭-‬15 NLT https://bible.com/bible/116/php.2.14-15.NLT If you have heard of the term, the Seven Deadly Sins, then you'll know that it refers to behaviours or habits classified as having the potential to result in sin. Pride, greed, gluttony, wrath, sloth, envy and lust make up this list. It's easy to see what dangers these attitudes and behaviours have on our walk with Jesus. Maybe some of us do need to work on the aspect of gluttony during the new year. But today, I'd like to focus on an Eighth Sin. A sin so subtle that it's hard to spot until it becomes a terrible habit. In today's verse, we're encouraged to do everything without complaining or arguing. This means everything. When was the last time you complained about the person who cut into ...

As long as Moses held up the staff in his hand, the Israelites had the advantage. But whenever he dropped his hand, the Amalekites gained the advantage. Moses’ arms soon became so tired he could no longer hold them up. So Aaron and Hur found a stone for him to sit on. Then they stood on each side of Moses, holding up his hands. So his hands held steady until sunset. Exodus 17:11‭-‬12 NLT https://bible.com/bible/116/exo.17.11-12.NLT I've been turning this verse around in my mind for the last couple of days and felt it appropriate to share with you some lessons that the Lord has placed on my heart. The context is that God's people, the children of Israel were in the desert on their way to the promised land, when without warning, the Amalekites came out to attack them. We must always be prepared for when our Enemy strikes. Moses was by this stage too old to fight physically, but he held the staff of God (representing the authority of God) up on a high place while the Israelites fo...