Pet rocks used to be all the rage. Like every little boy, I loved playing with rocks and sometimes would come home with several in my pocket.  As for pets, however, I was more of a dog or cat lover myself and never really cared to adopt a rock. A rock collection sounds about as exciting as a pile of dirt, yet Solomon reminds us that there is a perfect time for gathering stones.

[There is] a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together… Ecclesiastes 3:5a

Wednesday’s blog listed some rocks that might gather in our hearts which we need to throw away.  Today, let’s consider the benefit of gathering stones.

Little Shepherd Boy David is probably the most famous rock gatherer in the Bible.  Before facing and defeating Goliath, David found five smooth stones to serve as ammunition for his sling. He only needed one.  The first one worked, but he prepared himself in case he needed more.

Gathering Stones

Consider gathering these five stones and you will find yourself prepared for whatever comes your way on any given day.

Personal Bible Study

I’ve written on this topic more than any others.  You can scroll through the archives for articles about the need, the benefit, and the methods of personal Bible study.  Peter challenged his readers to desire the Bible like a new born baby craves his mother’s milk. (1 Peter 2:2)

I cannot over-emphasize the importance for every believer to engage an intentional, consistent, systematic Bible study.  There is no short cut.  There is no substitute. 

Bible memory

Since a physical or electronic copy of God’s Word is not always readily available, we can arm ourselves with Scripture we have committed to memory.  King David (the one who as a boy gathered the five stones) recognized the value that Scripture memory held in the battle against sin (Psalm 119:11).

After spending forty days and nights fasting in the wilderness, Jesus successfully repelled the temptations of Satan by quoting God’s Word to Him.  He had no scroll with Him from which to read, yet three times He countered the devil’s attack with “It is written…” 

If you would like a guide to twenty-six easy to memorize Bible verses, you can receive my free resource “A to Z Guide to Bible Memorization” by entering your email and subscribing to this blog in the box to the right.

Daily Prayer

Often during His three years of ministry, Jesus retreated to a quiet place to pray.  If the Son of God found value in getting alone to pray, how much more valuable is that discipline to us?  Whether early in the morning or later in the evening, find a specific time when you can get alone with God, talk to Him, and listen as He speaks to you.

If you would like more reading on the why and how of a personal prayer time, start with these two blogs.

3 Reasons You Need a Regular Prayer Time

3 Tips for an Effective Personal Prayer Time

Corporate Worship

Some have said that they can worship God better alone out in the woods than in a building with other people.  While maybe they can, most often they do not.  Worshiping God involves obeying Him, and He directs us to gather together to worship Him.  Hebrews 10:24-25 reminds us that the closer we draw to Jesus’ return, the more we need to gather with other believers.  We need to gather and encourage each other to love more deeply and live more obediently.

5 Reasons to Take Church Attendance Seriously

Exercise of faith

The Christian life is not a body of teaching to learn but a practical way of living each day.  God intends that we put to use the truths that we learn from His Word.  To say we believe and never act on that belief is to demonstrate a dead faith.  Conversely, to both believe and practice what God teaches us in the Bible is to live a vibrant faith life.  (James 2:26)

God intends for us believe and LIVE our faith.  As we put our faith in action, we learn more about God and His purposes.  We learn to surrender increasing amounts of our life to Him and watch Him use us in miraculous ways.

What stones are you putting in your bag?  There is a time and season for gathering stones.  Today is YOUR day.