My Rock

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My Rock

If you were to visit our home,  you would see  that I love rocks.     The kitchen window sills  are lined  with rocks.     The back door  has a rock doorstop.     Flower pots  have beautiful rocks  in them.     The fireplace mantel  has heart shaped rocks  on it.     Traveling friends  brought us unique rocks  from Turkey.

Each rock seems special  for its individuality  and beauty.     They all remind us  of the beauty  and solidness  of our Creator  and Savior.

On occasion  my Sunday School and Vacation Bible School classes  were awarded painted rocks  for memorizing  their verses.     They loved  lugging home  their memory rocks.     One such rock  had three verses  on it.     They were:

Everyone  who hears these words  of Mine  and continues  to follow them  is like a  man  who had sense enough  to build his house  on the Rock.    +     Matthew 7:24

…….that Rock was Christ.    +    1 Corinthians 10:4

The LORD  is my Rock  and my Fortress.    +    Psalm 18:2

Moses seems to be the first  to refer  to God  as our Rock.     He wrote it  in a song  that is recorded  in Deuteronomy 32:3-4.     It was written  shortly before he died  and the Israelites entered  into the Promised Land.     In it  he sang:

For I proclaim the name  of the LORD.
Ascribe greatness  to our God!
The Rock!     His work  is perfect,
For all His ways  are just;
A God of faithfulness  and without injustice,
Righteous  and upright  is He.

Moses’ song explains why  we can know  for sure  that it makes good sense  to build our house  —  our whole life  —  on the solid Rock,  our LORD.     It makes good sense  because all God’s work  is perfect.      The God whose work  is perfect  is fully capable  of taking care  of our needs.     Then,  all God’s ways  are just.     We can  count on the LORD  to be faithful to us  and without injustice  of any sort.

So,  when we see injustice  all around us  and then recall  all that God has done  throughout history,  we can say  with Paul  in Romans 8:28,   “We know  that God causes  all things  to work together  for good  to those who love God.”       In short,  God truly is righteous  and upright.     Time will tell  in the end.

All of that  makes our Savior  a truly safe hiding place  during the storms  of life.

But,  not everyone knows that.

Instead,  most people reject  and mock Jesus,  calling Him  an imposter  and a fake.     They don’t even realize  that all their mockings  were prophesied  by Isaiah about 740 years  before Christ was born.    Isaiah 8:13-15 prophesies:

It is the LORD of hosts  whom you should regard  as holy,
And He shall be  your fear,
And He shall be  your dread.
THEN  He shall become  a sanctuary;
But  to both the houses  of Israel,
A STONE  to strike  and a ROCK  to stumble over,
And a snare  and a trap  for the inhabitants  of Jerusalem.
And many will stumble  over them,
Then they will fall  and be broken;
They will even be snared  and caught.

What is it  about Jesus  that will make these people  stumble,  fall,  and be broken  over Him  –  our Rock?

It’s because  they prefer  to believe  in themselves.     They want to believe  that they have the power,  all on their own,  to live a satisfactory life  that will grant them  entrance into heaven.

But,  Jesus says  in John 14:6  that is not the way  it is.     Instead,  we must accept Jesus  for what He is  when He says,  “I am the way,  and the truth, and the life;  no one comes  to the Father  but through Me.”

Jesus also says  in John 8:24,   “Unless you believe  that I am He,  you will die  in your sins.”     Whoa!     We will die  in our sins,  i.e.  not go to heaven,  unless we believe  that Jesus is the Savior  who literally  takes away  the sins  of the world.

If we refuse  to trust  in the merits  of Jesus’ death  and resurrection  for us,  we will never  enter heaven.     Refusing to believe  in Christ  is the same  as calling God a liar  for claiming  that His love  in Christ  totally saves us.

That’s stumbling  —  big time.

Knowing Christ’s sacrificial love  for us,  we say,  “Hallelujah!     LORD,  thank You  for the proven truths  of Your word.”

Love,
Margaret

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A Christian devotional  to glorify  the LORD of lords  and GOD of gods.

Pray for our country.

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The LORD  made this day, let us rejoice  and be glad  in Him.

Psalm 118:24

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The word of the LORD is tried;

He is a shield  to all  who take refuge  in Him.

Psalm 18:30

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Sing for joy  in the LORD,  O you righteous ones;

Praise is becoming  to the upright.

Psalm 33:1

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How blessed are those  who dwell  in Thy house!

They are ever praising Thee.

Psalm 84:4

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Just as a father  has compassion  on his children,

So the LORD  has compassion  on those who fear Him.

Psalm 103:13

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O give thanks  to the LORD,  for He is good;

For His lovingkindness  is everlasting.

Psalm 107:1

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Glory in His holy name;

Let the heart  of those who seek the LORD  be glad.

Psalm 105:3

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Not that I have already obtained it,  or have already  become perfect,   but I press on  in order that  I may  lay hold  of that  for which also  I was laid hold of  by Christ Jesus.

Philippians 3:12

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