5 REASONS WHY A STONE WILL TAKE YOUR PLACE!

“And he answered and said to them, I tell you, that if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.” (Luke 19:40).  With a pebble (small stone) in my hand, I suddenly remembered this scripture - Luke 19:40. And while I reflected on it, the following thoughts came to me:

5 REASONS WHY A STONE WILL TAKE MY PLACE!

1. WHEN ONE BOWS TO PRESSURE (THE PEOPLE AROUND YOU): Considering the economic crunch sweeping through the world today, one is naturally drawn to pay allegiance to any person, persons, organizations etc whose influence will shield & alleviate your difficulties. The warning however is that this gravitated allegiance MUST not and SHOULD not override our Love and Trust in God. Meaning that it should not dull your sensitivity to the God's Communication with you. Standing Still to see what God can do is the best path to walk in these trying days; but how many people can STAND STILL & not bow to this financial pressure.

So STAND FOR GOD, STAND WITH GOD and do not become an instrument for fulfilling others people's whims & caprices. Don't be like them for you can only change them when you live your life guided by God.

2. WHEN ONE BOWS TO YOUR ENVIRONMENT (finance, position, influence, etc): As much as where you are in life is very important; your ability to give that priced position to God as a platform for reaching out to humanity is much more important.

This is made even more difficult by our natural instinct as human to forget God once we become comfortable. Note that God gives us comfort so that we can comfort others. May your comfort never become comfortless...

3. WHEN ONE BECOMES MORE HARDENED THAN STONES (when one becomes so unresponsive for God’s use): The joy of parenthood is to have children who not only run errands for you but are at your beck and call. As a father, God demonstrated in Genesis 3 His interest in having sweet relationship with His own; and also set the precedent that He can EXILE anyone who rejects Him.

One's responsiveness to God's bidding determines to a large extent the amount of His presence a person can carry per time. In the face of this economic crunch sweeping through the world today:

•    do you still find time for God?
•    do you still see His mighty power to SAVE?
•    can He still be TRUSTED to fulfill His words?
•    have you turned your 'faith' into a box of 'anxiety'?
•    can you still hear God speak?
•    etc

The bottom line is how responsive are you to God knowing that God yet SEEK men He can entrust with the ministry of RECONCILING MEN UNTO HIM. This trying times we are in is the true TEST of your love for God; and you decisions and actions are on a daily basis writing VOLUMES in your book of life.

Remember, stone can only take you place if you become unresponsive for God's use.

4. WHEN ONE CHOOSES TO KEEP QUIET:

•  due to offense (provocation)
•  due to ignorance
•  due to incompetence
•  due to a lack of fellowship
•  due to a challenge (overwhelming problem)

5. WHEN ONE IS NOT PROPERLY POSITIONED:

•  wrong priorities (II Corinthians 5:17)
•  when you dis-fellowship yourself (Hebrew 10:25, Genesis 3).

My sincere prayer is that StOnEs may never take my place in God's Scheme of events. What about you?