When I first heard about being like living stones, I thought it was some sort of oxymoron. Did it mean being alive and dead at the same time? I had read this Scripture before, but didn’t stop to think through what it was saying. Jesus being the Living Stone was new to me.
As I began to dig into this, I did what we all do. I googled it. Who knew? Living stones are a real thing. They are a succulent originating in Africa that are drought tolerant and go dormant in both winter and summer. This got me thinking about what it means to be like living stones.
4-6 Welcome to the living Stone, the source of life. The workmen took one look and threw it out; God set it in the place of honor. Present yourselves as building stones for the construction of a sanctuary vibrant with life, in which you’ll serve as holy priests offering Christ-approved lives up to God. The Scriptures provide precedent: Look! I’m setting a stone in Zion,
a cornerstone in the place of honor.
Whoever trusts in this stone as a foundation will never have cause to regret it. 9-10 But you are the ones chosen by God, chosen for the high calling of priestly work, chosen to be a holy people, God’s instruments to do his work and speak out for him, to tell others of the night-and-day difference he made for you—from nothing to something, from rejected to accepted. (1 Peter 2:4-6, 9-10 MSG).
We are called to be like Jesus, to be like the Living Stone. We are invited to be part of the building stones. This requires that we make build our relationship with Him. We need to make time for that relationship through reading Scripture, worship, and prayer. Second, we need to continue to work on ourselves-refining ourselves to be more like Jesus. We have to be willing to face the things within in us that separate us from love. Lastly, we need to be in community. We need each other to build each other up and reach out to those who need to know the love of Christ.
Are ready to live like the living stone? Are you ready to lean into Jesus, work on yourself and be in the community? Share your experience here and breathe life and bring hope to others.