Nevertheless Stone
Several years ago, I heard a teaching about the word, nevertheless. It spoke so profoundly into my heart that I made little nevertheless signs and taped them up all over the house. There were signs in the kitchen, by the phones, in the entry hall, and even on the bathroom mirror. Our visitors would ask me about the signs, and that provided the opportunity to share what nevertheless means to me.
There are 73 references in the King James Bible for the word nevertheless. The teaching that made such an impression on me has to do with whatever happens, whatever we do, in spite of how things look - nevertheless - God is in control. There is the story in the book of Daniel about the Hebrew children who refused to bow to the king’s image. The penalty for disobedience was to be cast into a fiery furnace. They informed the king that GOD was GOD if they burned or not. They refused to bow to the idol of the king. The Lord protected them in the fiery furnace. It was good to be saved from death, but that was not the point.
Their decision was based on the total sovereignty of Almighty God. Likewise, each of us will have to decide if we will be tempted and bow to the idols of the world's system. Each of us may face circumstances that appear impossible to overcome. These situations could be disease, bankruptcy, depression, broken relationships or even death. With these may come "the easy way out", to bow to the world's system. The circumstances may dictate failure, but the "Nevertheless factor" is the sovereignty of the Lord of Lords.
We have chosen not to bend nor bow to the worlds idols. We need the Lords help in this. That decision has been powerful in our lives. It affects everything that we do. It effects what we think about. It has made us bold in our witness of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is amazing how many emails come from Christians who like the strong witness on our web site. It makes no difference to us if anyone likes it or not. Nevertheless whatever happens - our God reigns.
The stone bravely stands on our porch, for all to see. Everyone that comes to Milk and Honey Farm has to walk by that stone to enter the house. It is a reminder of what we believe. We have chosen not to bow to the worlds idols.
Our stone was crafted by Andy Levinski of Andy's Stone Engraving. We found our stone in a farmer's field, but Andy can also find a stone for your purpose. His most popular signs say, "Welcome" but you can also get your family's name and a picture. Andy also does very large stones on location for business monuments. Stone etching is Andy's full time business and he can be reached at 320-275-2184 if you would like to employ his skills. Tell Andy that you saw our "Nevertheless" stone on the web site.