In our family we got into a discussion about the difference between rocks and stones. Is there a difference, or is it just two names for the same thing?

To geologists, who study the earth, as well as to builders and rock collectors, a rock is any mass of mineral matter that has not been changed by human hands. So it can be a huge chunk or a tiny pebble. A rock becomes a stone when it is cut and shaped to build something or to function in some way, like part of a building or roadway.

Now, we can’t impose those definitions on the ancient text of the Bible, but it’s interesting that more than 40 times in Scripture, God is referred to as “the Rock” or as “my rock”—often in the Psalms. Jesus Christ is also referred to as a rock, and he is called the capstone and cornerstone in references to the building of God’s church and kingdom.

What comes to mind when you think of a fortress? Something solid, sturdy, powerful, unshakable? God is all of those things. And in God, through the saving work of Jesus, we are secure, protected, safe. The power of God’s unfailing love is infinitely greater than any attacks trying to threaten us. We can “trust in him at all times.” If we trust in riches, or status, or the ways of this world, our efforts will fail. But “God is our refuge”; in him our destiny is secure. In God our souls find rest and salvation!

I was fortunate to grow up under the broad, blue skies of the Canadian prairie in Alberta. My three brothers and I spent many happy days of our childhood outside, exploring. Sometimes we stumbled on a bird’s nest or a fawn. We picked saskatoon berries and climbed trees. We also found some amazing rocks, prizing especially the ones that sparkled and glittered with strands of quartz or mica. They were like treasures, and I kept them close.

Now I have children—three boys—and we live in the city of Vancouver. There’s wildlife, including coyotes, raccoons, and eagles. There are trees to climb and berries to pick. But rocks seem to be rare in the world of pavement, concrete, and manicured parks—until you see streets of cobblestone, steps of granite, statues and walls of marble, and much more. Rocks are everywhere!

Rocks are amazing not just because they are pretty, but also because they are like windows into reality. God speaks to us in the Bible using all kinds of references to things he created: plants, water, wind, animals, rocks, and much more. All of it is good and beautiful—and like a window into his goodness.

So this month let’s go rock-finding in the Bible and see what stones and gems can teach us—about God’s character, our own character, and our need for God in all situations.

The

apostle John saw a vision of war in heaven, of the dragon defeated

and hurled down to earth, furious “because he knows that his time

is short.” This is a vivid image of reality. It is the spiritual

reality behind the wars that rage around us. As the devil whispers

temptations in our ears, he also sows discord among the nations and

goads them to war.

Human

history reveals an unending parade of war and struggle. The past

century has seen perhaps the worst destruction of all. Soon after

World War I came World War II, with the Allies defending democracy

and liberty against the threats of dictatorship in Germany, Italy,

and Japan. Then Italy was defeated, and then Germany, and then

finally Japan.

But

the sense of relief and joy after World War II didn’t last long.

More conflicts came along, from Korea to Vietnam amid the rise of

communism, the nuclear arms race, and bitter fighting in the Middle

East, to radicalist terrorism and years of war to try to stop it.

It’s just one confrontation after ­another.

Only

the return of Christ will put an end to all this trouble. And the

dragon, along with death itself, will be destroyed. Come, Lord Jesus,

come quickly!

The

Bible has a lot to say about inheritance, and it all points to God’s

promises of inheriting full life in his kingdom forever.

God

shows his goodness by giving an inheritance to his children. “Those

who hope in the Lord will inherit the land,” says the psalmist.

“The meek will inherit the land and enjoy peace and prosperity.”

In ancient Israel the focus was on the land God had given the 12

tribes of Israel, but today we know that this refers to the whole

earth in the new heaven and new earth. In fact, Jesus quoted from

this psalm when he said, “Blessed are the meek, for they will

inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5).

God’s

goodness inspires parents to leave an inheritance for the generations

that follow. Money saved up for one’s children and grandchildren,

so that they may have a head start in life, is a good thing. But

people who honor the Lord also show care and compassion for the poor,

and they work against injustice and discrimination. In all that he

did, Jesus modeled these important teachings.

Do

good, care for people in need, save up your pennies for your

children. Love the Lord, love your neighbor in Jesus’ name, share

the good news of God’s love, and know that, by grace, you have the

blessings of eternal life in his kingdom.

Maybe

you have read about or seen heart-wrenching pictures of orphanages in

some countries where babies lie unattended in their cribs, crying

piteously in unchanged diapers. No one plays with them, hugs them,

kisses them, or coos at them. The workers are overburdened and

overwhelmed and don’t know what to do.

Ezekiel

16 includes a striking allegory about Jerusalem in its miserable

plight: “On the day you were born your cord was not cut, nor were

you washed. . . . No one looked on you with pity. . . .

You were despised. Then I passed by and saw you kicking about in your

blood, and . . . I said to you, ‘Live!’ I made you grow

like a plant of the field. . . . You became mine”

(Ezekiel 16:4-8).

That

is what 1 John 3:1 is talking about when it says, “See what

great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called

children of God!” Or, as Paul put it, “In love he predestined us

for adoption. . . .” If God had left us in our

sinful state, we would have died. And today, because God has put his

Spirit in us, we can live for him.

Because

of his love for us, we can turn away from sin. Believing in Christ,

we are washed, and we live in his love. We are cherished. God becomes

our loving Father. He loves and disciplines us as his children, and

we live in his family forever. What a beautiful picture of the

tenderness of our God!

By

the Spirit of the Lord, Ezekiel had an unforgettable vision. The

grisly scene of bones scattered across a valley might seem a

terrifying nightmare, with the evidence of death all around. But God

turned that valley of the shadow of death into a place of life. The

dry, scattered bones began rattling and joining together, and soon

they were covered by muscles and skin. And when the breath of life

entered the people’s remade bodies, they sprang to life again.

God

said this was a sign for his people, who thought they were dead,

dried up, cut off, and without hope in the world. They were exiled

from their land as punishment for generations of sinning against God.

But he promised to restore them to himself by putting his Spirit in

them and giving them new life.

God

accomplished this in surprising ways through his Son, Jesus Christ.

He came to pay for human sin by giving up his own life and then

rising from the dead. Then God’s Spirit came to breathe new life in

us, guiding us to know the Lord and trust in him for forgiveness and

salvation. As Paul put it, though we were “without hope and without

God in the world,” he “made us alive with Christ even when we

were dead” in our “transgressions and sins” (Ephesians 2:1,

4-5, 12). And one day, when Jesus returns, we will also rise from our

graves to live with him! (See 1 Thessalonians 4-5; Revelation

21-22.)

It

is not unusual to be saved through faith in God and yet suffer under

oppression. A person may walk with Jesus each day and yet have to

labor under discrimination, deal with unfair working conditions, or

face religious persecution—with little chance of getting out from

under the grindstone.

What’s

particularly scorching about Amos’s prophecy is that some of the

worst oppressors were Israelites who were zealous in their religious

rituals. They brought sacrifices to God; they observed all the

religious holidays. They followed the law of God to the letter. But

they had no concern for other people. Through Isaiah, God said,

similarly, “Stop bringing meaningless offerings! Your incense is

detestable to me. . . . Your hands are full of blood! . . .

Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the

cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow” (Isaiah

1:13-17). Wherever this charge may apply today, it calls for

self-examination of our attitudes and account books. It may also call

for debate and accountability in our community and business circles.

Ultimately,

on the day of the Lord, the Judge of all humankind will usher in

complete justice. And for those who have repented and turned to

Christ, all oppression and poverty will cease. On that day, justice

will roll down like a mighty river.

Through

his Word, the Bible, God gives us hope and an eternal perspective,

and its images of salvation stir the heart. If we didn’t know its

promises, the hatred between nations would seem unsolvable, and any

efforts at peace would seem futile.

But

God promises that he will “settle disputes for many peoples. They

will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning

hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they

train for war anymore.” For “in the last days” all nations will

stream in to recognize and honor the Lord.

There

was actually a foretaste of this in Old Testament times, when the

Queen of Sheba came to visit Israel’s King Solomon in Jerusalem (2

Chronicles 9:1-9). Her realm was in southwestern Arabia about 900

years before Jesus came. Historians say that before the time of

Christ, Judaism had spread south to Arabia and over to Ethiopia in

Africa.

Since

the time of Jesus’ death and resurrection, the nations have begun

streaming into God’s kingdom. Jesus’ followers have gone out to

spread the good news “to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). And

when the Lord comes again to live with us in his Holy City, “the

nations will walk by its light, and the kings of earth will bring

their splendor into it” (Revelation 21:24). There will be peace in

God’s eternal kingdom.

Here

Jesus explains how building our life is like building a house. If we

want a house that will last, it must have a solid foundation. And the

only foundation for living is to listen to Jesus’ teaching and put

it into practice.

When

the apostle Paul talked about building up the church of Jesus, he

used house-building language also. In 1 Corinthians 3:11-13 he

warned, “No one can lay any foundation other than the one already

laid, which is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation

­using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work

will be shown for what it is.”

Paul

used similar imagery in Ephesians 2:20-22 to describe God’s

household—“built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets,

with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. . . .

And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in

which God lives by his Spirit.”

Describing

Jesus as “the living Stone,” the apostle Peter adds, “You also,

like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house.” And

why? Not just to have a solid, full life worth living, but “that

you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness

into his wonderful light” (1 Peter 2:4-5, 9). Jesus wants us to

live by his Word and teaching so that we can share his message with

others—and help them have a life built on Christ too!

In

the chaos leading up to the French Revolution (1789-99), many

churches in France were converted into “Temples of Reason.”

People lifted up the “goddess of reason” to celebrate the new Age

of Reason in place of the fading Age of Faith. Not long afterward the

Age of Romanticism came along to replace the tyranny of reason by

lifting up passions and feelings.

Like

a pendulum swinging back and forth, each age has its own ideology.

Sometimes there is a good reason for the change. But usually only one

side of truth is exalted. And when that becomes idolized, it prompts

a reaction. There is a place for reason, a place for emotions, a

place for art, a place for science, and much more. But when people

highlight ideals over the sovereignty of God, they become idols

(false gods) and are eventually found to be inadequate. Idols are

ultimately unsatisfying.

That

is what happened in the days of Jeremiah. “My people have exchanged

their glorious God for worthless idols,” said the Lord. “They

have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own

cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.” Like idols,

broken cisterns leave us thirsty and longing for living water, a

gushing spring that never runs dry. Regardless of what people may say

from age to age in history, Jesus is always the living water who

fills us with the gift of eternal life (John 4:14).