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Living Stones

I Peter 2:4-8

 

In his teaching series entitled, “That The World May Know,” Ray VanderLaan shares a tradition from the culture of the Middle East. When something significant of a religious nature happens, you take a stone and stand it up on that spot so that whoever sees the stone can ask, “What happened here?” That question then gives the person who sets up the monument an opportunity to tell the questioner what God did on that exact spot.

 

When God brought His people safely through the Jordan River and into the Promised Land, He had them stand twelve stones (representing the twelve tribes of Israel) in the river. Then the Lord said in Joshua 4:6-7;

 

That this may be a sign among you, that when your children ask their Fathers in times to come, saying, “What mean ye by these stones?” Then ye shall answer them, That the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the Covenant of the Lord; when it passed over Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off: and these stones shall be a memorial unto the children of Israel forever. 

 

What a blessing if our lives could serve the same function! What a blessing if people around us would notice the way we respond to problems, the way we act in love, the way we make decisions, the way we raise our children, and would be moved to ask, “What happened here?” What a blessing if we could say, “Let me tell you what God did.”

 

In our homes, our schools, our neighborhoods, our churches, our courthouses, and even in our prisons----wherever God’s people are found ---we can witness in word and actions to God, who acts in our lives in specific and powerful ways.

 

By grace, we’re living stones! By grace we’re chosen and perfectly set on the cornerstone and foundation of Jesus Christ. By God’s grace, may others see our actions and honor our Father in heaven.