Ellen Chauvin | Soaked & Sprouting

Soaked in God's Word, Sprouting Seeds of Faith

The White Stone of Revelation

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We each received a white rock. At a conference. At dinner.

Crazy, right? The speaker at the conference told us to write on our stone. She was dynamic and had a wonderful message. But afterwards, we couldn’t remember exactly what our words on the rock were supposed to represent. I checked around with a few of the women a week or so after the event, to see if they could recall. There were giggles and “ummm, well I think it may have been_______”, and each woman had a different answer.

Several months later, I was studying Revelation 2. And there was that rock again!

Revelation 2:17 (NASB)
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, to him I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives it.

The word in the original Greek means stone or pebble, rather than a large boulder. It was used as a ticket of admission to an event, or for a jury to cast a ballot or verdict. Generally, those found guilty were given black stones, and those acquitted were given white stones.

What a beautiful picture of what awaits us as overcomers and followers of Jesus Christ: An admission ticket to heaven, and acquitted of all our sins by the blood of Jesus.

White stone

Along with that, we’ll have a new name. So, a white stone with our new name written on it. I dug a little deeper, and found this cross reference:

Isaiah 56:5 (NASB)
To them I will give in My house and within My walls a memorial,
And a name better than that of sons and daughters;
I will give them an everlasting name which will not be cut off.

A memorial with a name that will last forever. I’m reminded of a headstone on a grave. It marks our time here on earth – our birth date and the date we take our final breath. Our names are forever engraved on the stone.

 

The white stone we’ll be handed in heaven will be a memorial of sorts. Oh, what a memorial it will be! Inscribed with our new name, and the date “Forever”, it will mark the beginning of the life we have been waiting for, ruling and reigning with Jesus. It will mark the start of the life we were meant to live, since the days of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.

Yep, a rock. Crazy, huh? But oh, so valuable and full of significance. I don’t think I’ll forget this time!

That plain white rock is our ticket to eternity!

Grace be with you,

 

 

 

This blog was originally published May 2016.

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Free to be His Masterpiece

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“Sweetheart, they could have thrown you out of this recovery center time and time again, but they haven’t. They see something in you. You need to see in yourself the things that they see in you!”

“I know, Daddy. I’ll try,” she replied, eyes downcast, shoulders sagging.

She saw herself through the eyes of the world: addict, homeless, shamed, worthless. She had a hard time believing that she could be more than, that she could be different.

Over the years, she had found her identity in those “less than” labels. Comfortable, even. But sometimes – no, most times – we need to break out of our comfort zones in order to live free. We need to see ourselves through the eyes of Love, the eyes of Christ.

We need to see in ourselves what Christ sees in us. 

And what does Christ see in us?

A masterpiece, His work of outstanding artistry. God created us individually in His image and it was “very good” (Genesis 1:31). God sees something very, very good in us. He sees our potential, what He knows we can be, because He made us to be that very thing.

Have you ever watched an artist at work? A painter, writer, sculptor? A baker, seamstress, gardener? They pour their heart and soul into making something out of nothing. Each creation is birthed with love and is a work of art. Each is valued, because it was created with the artist’s own hands, hours spent getting just the right shade of color here, the correct word there, the exact amount of sugar or spice.

Christ sees a cherished work of art in us.

“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” Ephesians 2:10 NLT

As His beloved. We are precious in His sight, and He loves us with an everlasting love. The love Christ has for us is unconditional, pure agape love. When Christ looks at us, it is not with disappointment or anger, it is with love. We need not stand before Him in shame, but shame-less. Free to be His beloved child.

“We know that God has chosen you, dear brothers, much beloved of God.” 1 Thessalonians 1:4 

As a new person. We are more than our pasts, we are more than our mistakes. Our sins are washed clean with the blood of His sacrifice (Isaiah 1:18). We have the freedom to become a new creation in Christ Jesus.

It’s difficult sometimes to take that first step to freedom. To turn our backs on the only life we have known for so long. To start over. It’s hard work. But if we belong to Christ, we are a new person, and we have His power available to us.

“This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” 2 Corinthians 5:17

“I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms.” Ephesians 1:19-20

Did you see it? We are NEW! The old life in GONE! And we have HIS power – the power that raised Christ from the dead – available to help us. We don’t have to do this on our own. We have Christ, we have our families, and we have others available to help us become His work of art, His beautiful creation.

When we see in ourselves the things He sees in us, we can stand shame-less before Him.

Hallelujah and amen!

 

 

 

This blog was originally published August 2015

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