Found One!

When my sister and were young we didn't have the toys kids of today have strewn all over the house. We got hand-made gifts at Christmas and we were satisfied. Happy! We didn't know any different.

Entertainment was cheap back then too. I'd spend time hunting for frogs & turtles in the swamp but when Mom and Dad said they were taking us to the Rollways, "Let's go!"

The Rollways are pictured at the left. Old-time loggers used to roll logs down the sand slope and into the Manistee River where they'd float downstream to the sawmill. The hill never recovered from that and still looks pretty bare today. It was in that bare, gravely soil that we found the treasure of our childhood - Petosky Stones!

They were not very plentiful but someone would always yell out when they found one and we'd all go running to see it.

Reading the Bible can be like that. There are Petosky Stone verses scattered all throughout scripture. Here's one that caught my attention this week. It's from the Book of Nehemiah. Found one! :)

They were reading out of the Book of The Law . . .

^"13 On the second day of the month, the heads of all the families, along with the priests and the Levites, gathered around Ezra the teacher to give attention to the words of the Law. ¹⁴ They found written in the Law, which the Lord had commanded through Moses, that the Israelites were to live in temporary shelters during the festival of the seventh month (The Festival of Tabernacles) ¹⁵ and that they should proclaim this word and spread it throughout their towns and in Jerusalem: “Go out into the hill country and bring back branches from olive and wild olive trees, and from myrtles, palms and shade trees, to make temporary shelters”—as it is written." - Nehemiah 8:13-15

Temporary Shelters . . . Temporary Homes.

Let's move to the New Testament Book of 2nd Corinthians.

"5 For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands." - 2 Corinthians 5:1

What is a tent? Well, it is "a temporary shelter." 2nd Corinthians says that our bodies are a temporary shelter - a temporary dwelling place. We are living on earth, our temporary home if you will. Our permanent home is with our Lord in heaven.

^"14 For this world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come." - Hebrews 13:14

When I saw the words temporary shelters written in the Old Testament I immediately thought about the New Testament concept of this world being our temporary home. All of the Old Testament festivals have new testament meaning. Look closer. Can you find the "Petoskey Stones," hidden in plain sight in God's Word?

The seven "B.C." festivals were actually prophesied events. Four of the festival prophesies have already been fulfilled. Three have not - The festival of Trumpets (Christ's return), The Day of Atonement (The Great Judgement) and . . . the Festival of Tabernacles (A New Heaven and a New Earth). Our permanent dwelling place.

As we walk through this life, as we read the Bible, let us always be aware that there may be treasure to be found. The treasure of friends, of serving others. In the words we read in the Bible, take the time to search diligently as you read. You wouldn't want to miss a real gem of a verse that has the power to open up your heart even wider than it already is.

Take time this day to read God's Word. Search thoroughly like my mom taught us kids to search for Petoskey stones. You WILL be rewarded. Found one!!

"I will give you hidden treasures, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, who summons you by name." - Isaiah 45:3

Tips For Finding Petoskey Stones