Offer Thanksgiving - Psalm 50:53 Verse of the Day

It's a gray day; early morning. I've finished my Bible reading and now sit in my workspace with my cat curled beside me, sipping a hot cup of coffee as I glance out at the world through the window. A split in the clouds reminds me of the crack in the wall on Dr. Who. But this split reveals the light blue sky beyond the heavy gray. It reminds me that above all the gray there is sunshine and blue skies. I thank God for that reminder and soon the split is larger and the tangerine highlights of the sun mark the bottom edge of the widening split. In the short time it took me to type this, that crack has turned into a large swath of blue sky with layers of lacy gray clouds drifting to the north. It reminds me of my favorite verse from my reading this morning.

Verse of the Day Psalm 50:53

 

With all that life throws at us, it is hard at times to "feel" thankful, but long ago, I learned to practice thanksgiving as a sacrifice to God, even when I didn't feel like being thankful.

"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 4:4-7)

My first memory of putting this into practice is from back in the 80s as I drove to work on a gray day in Northern Illinois. There were times we didn't see the sun for weeks and it could be depressing. I'd use driving time to talk to God, but that day I was in a bit of a funk. The sky showed no definition of clouds, it was like a ceiling painted a solid color. Light gray. I didn't feel like going to work, I didn't like the cold weather, and I could easily fall into grumbling about all the things I didn't like. But I was reminded that "in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving..." And so I searched for something to be thankful for and looked at the sky. I realized it was the color of my favorite eye shadow at the time and I thanked God for it's beauty. As I scanned the world around me I realized I had much to be thankful for, and by the time I walked into work, it was with a new attitude, God was guarding my heart and mind. 

I am thankful. Amen

 

What are living stones in the Bible?

In 1 Peter 2:5, Peter uses the metaphor “living stones.” Today as we delve into this metaphor, we will answer two questions. First, what do living stones mean in this passage, and second, are you a living stone? We find the living-stones Scripture in 1 Peter 2:5, but before we go there, I want to point back to 1 Peter 1:23 for context. It says, […] you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God. He is speaking to people born again through the living Word of God.

 

 

Then in chapter two, he continues with an example of what that looks like lived out in daily life:

Therefore, putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord. (1 Peter 2:1-2)

 

Because we have been born again, these things should no longer have a place in our lives. Putting off in the Greek is the word used for taking off clothes. It means we are to strip ourselves of these things. Malice means evil thoughts, deceit refers to deceitfulness in all its forms, and hypocrisy is acting like you are something other than you are. In this context, it is about pretending to have virtues, moral or religious beliefs, principles, etc., that you do not possess. Envy is pretty clear-cut, but what about slander? Here it refers to gossiping. These things dressed us in the past but should be stripped off and set aside when born again.

 

In verse 2, we see how we are to grow in respect to our salvation by feeding on the Word of God. I’m not discounting spiritual experiences, but as exciting andin Ephesians 2:20-22. Having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.

 

These living stones are the church built on the foundation of Jesus Christ. Peter uses the metaphor of living stones to illustrate the secure and intimate relationship believers have with Jesus. It creates an image of how God joins Jesus and his followers into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood.

 

If you are a living stone

When talking to my husband about the meaning of living stones, he pointed out that stones are God-made while bricks are man made. The only way to become a living stone is through God's way—Jesus. 

As living stones:

 

You have new life in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17).

You are an integral part of the building of God and have security in Christ (John 6:37)

You are placed by God where he wants you to be (1 Corinthians 12:18)

You are connected to others in the body of Christ (Romans 12:5)