Short & Sweet: The Stone

Short and Sweet Nourishment for the Soul

^{6 “}And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,” Ephesians 2:6

“So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord–who is the Spirit–makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.”2 2 Corinthians 3:18

“Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

Matthew 5:16

I sat with my back propped against my husband’s legs. My sweatshirt felt good against my skin as the northern summer breezes flowed landward off Lake Michigan. The tall sea-green beach grasses wafted gently in the water. The sunset promised to be a keeper. My heart felt as content as the unusually peaceful waters of the Great Lake.

My eyes scanned the horizon like a seasoned sailor, counting the moments until the great event — the setting of the sun. We Michiganders take our sunsets seriously. Tourists and natives alike dotted the dunes along the shore. Watching. Waiting.

As the sun slipped lower in the sky, something caught my attention along the shore; a quiet radiance amid thousands of dark cool stones at the waters edge; one stone made brilliant by the setting of the sun. Loathe to disturb my comfort, I turned my head for a better view of the shining pebble.

Why a stone?

It stood like a lighthouse among its dull counterparts, beaming and casting its light. I marveled that such a small object could make so great an impact. A rock. Plain. Small. Unremarkable. Why a stone? Why not a diamond? Or a ruby? Just one small, plain stone.

Why one stone?

Thousands of millions of stones line the beaches of the northern Great Lakes … tossed and tumbled … worn smooth by relentless waves of time. But, only one glimmered in the sunset. Why? Three reasons: Position. Reflection. Water. The small rock, washed with water, was in the right position to reflect the light of the sun.

“And you are living stones …

… that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are his holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God.”

We are His stones. Small. Plain. Unremarkable. Made of clay. But, as living stones we can have great influence for three reasons: Position. Reflection. Water. Position in Christ. Reflection of His glory. Living Water. God has placed us on beaches of this earth, among the thousands of millions of people tossed and tumbled by the relentless waves of deception, to reflect His glory and truth in the darkness. Soaked by Living Water, we shine and reflect His light, enabling others to find their way to the Father.

Let your light shine before men.

Action Points:

How can you let your light shine?
Name something specific you can do today to shine God’s light to those around you.
Do you tend to shut down your light around certain people? Why?

Life is sweet.

Short & Sweet: She Sat

Nourishment for the Soul

38 Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house.

39 And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word.

40 But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.”

41 And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things.

42 But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.”

Luke 10:38-42

I am a list maker; a task oriented kind of girl.

I like getting things done. But, I also know how to take a break and rest. Mary of Luke 10, is that kind of woman as well. She also had her priorities straight – Jesus.

Mary didn’t always have it together, her past is kind of sketch. Her name literally means “their rebellion.” After meeting Jesus, however, she gained a new reputation: the One Who Sat at Jesus’ Feet. She sat.

She sat.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful to be so connected to Jesus that in order for people to describe you they’d have to mention, “Oh, that’s Mary-who-sat-at-Jesus’-feet. She sat. What did Mary do while she sat? She heard the Word. She heard the Word from The Word.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was God, and the Word was with God.

Can you imagine?

Martha tells on her.

Martha is busy with much serving …on her feet … distracted.

Mary is busy with God … at His feet … filled.

She sat.

“Mary has chosen the good part, and it will not be taken from her.”

We get to choose too.

Action Points

The key to life is spending more time at His feet than on your feet. How can you make time to sit at His feet?
What gets in the way of spending more time at His feet?
What phrase characterizes your life now? _______________ How would people describe you? She/He ____________.

Life is sweet.

Short & Sweet: Cross Out by Mary Kane

Nourishment and refreshment for your soul.

There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved [Jesus].” Acts 4:12

We all remember taking tests in school. Fill in the dot, multiple choice (otherwise known as multiple guess), true and false, short answer, and the dreaded essay question.

If I had prepared for THE TEST, I actually liked working through the process of multiple choice questions using the “Cross Out Strategy.”

The Cross Out Strategy:

Know the truth.
Examine all the questions and search for truth.
Cross out the obvious wrong answers.
Analyze remaining answers.
Cross out answers that contain a bit of truth.
Circle remaining answer.

The key to the Cross Out Strategy is knowing the truth. Without having access to the true answers, the Cross Out Strategy is futile.

The same strategy works when looking for the answer to life’s biggest question: How may we be saved?

Know the truth.
Search for the truth.
Cross out wrong answers that contain a bit of truth.
Accept the correct answer.

The answer to our biggest question is contained in our verse above: There is no other name by which we must be saved. Jesus. It is only by accepting His sacrificial death on the cross that we are saved.

It all comes down to the cross: cross out all other answers.

Action Points:

Is Jesus your Savior? Have you crossed out all other options?
Do you depend only on Him for salvation, restoration and forgiveness?
Do you allow others to rest only on Jesus, or do you require others to continually pay for their sins?
Are you hanging on to something Jesus has already nailed to the cross?

Life is sweet.

Short & Sweet: Use It or Lose It, by Mary Kane

Nourishment and refreshment for the soul.

“Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have heaped up treasure in the last days.” James 5:3

On my earring rack hangs one lonely silver hoop earring. I lost it’s partner three years ago during Christmas play practice. It fell out of my ear, rolled across the floor, and was crushed beyond recognition underneath the size 12 tennis shoe of a 6th grade boy. Since they were sterling silver, I couldn’t bring myself to throw the remaining earring away. I hung the lone hoop back on the rack and forgot about it … until the other day.

I was searching my rack for a fresh pair of spring-like earrings (yes, the snow has finally melted in Michigan), when I spotted a dull black earring, hanging by itself in a dark corner of the rack. What is this? I asked myself as I picked up the dingy earring. As I turned the earring over in my hand, I recognized my long-ago favorite hoop earring, now corroded from neglect and disuse.

All of my other silver earrings gleamed on the rack. What kept them shiny? Not polish, but daily use. Slowly my mind made a connection to a Bible verse from the book of James. If we do not use our gifts and our resources, but let them sit idly on a shelf, they will corrode. They’ll turn black and dingy from disuse, and will eventually disintegrate. Ultimately, no one will benefit from our gifts; they will be a complete loss.

God gives us gifts to bless others, and we reap blessings in return. Let’s dust off our gifts and use them today.

Action Points:

Are your gifts corroded or shiny from daily use?
What do you love to do, and how can you use that gift to serve others?
Find a way to use your gifts to bless someone today.
Ask God to show you your gifts and how to use them for His kingdom.