living stones Archives – Sonshine's Journal

December 19, 2020December 19, 2020

You are a Living Stone

Advent Series #19 1Peter 1& 2 “Living Stones.”

Do you live in a place where you and your faith are secure? Since most do not, James and Peter address the pilgrims who have left Jerusalem and need reassurance. Both authors remind the believers that they are chosen, elect, and set apart by the Holy Spirit. They have been ransomed, sprinkled and born again with the blood of Christ. They recognize it was He that offered His body to be sacrificed that they may take part in the resurrection to come. They also recognize that this life is a temporary transition to the eternal, just as Jesus promised. Thus, the persecution they are facing is temporary, and their lives transitory. All NT authors point to this fact: you are to be holy because God is holy.

Peter likens believers to stones chiseled by the trials and tribulations in this life. They were in the quarry but were taken and placed side by side to build the house of God. The cornerstone is Christ, chosen, and precious. The world stumbles over His message and His person, but the believer sees himself as part of the temple of God, part of a holy nation, a people of his own for one reason: to proclaim Jesus Christ to a darkened world.

We may not have seen Christ or heard His audible voice, yet we can know that we are building the house of God that will outlast this earthly existence.

March 30, 2019

Earthly Stones vs Living Stones

1Kings 5 David had laid the foundation of friendship with Hiram of Tyre and Solomon reaped the reward.

Eccl 4:9 “Two people are better than one because they can reap more benefit from their labor”

In Exodus, we saw how the people gave willingly to build the Tabernacle. David willingly had accumulated wealth but it took Solomon to complete the dream. Hiram willingly shared from his wealth to assist Solomon all because David had laid the foundation of a lasting companionship.

Solomon built the Temple for not just the Israelites but for the nations of the world. In Exodus, it was only the Israelites that built but the Temple was built along with the Gentiles. And both were to be places of worship to the glory of God.

God desired that the Temple be built but also that the construction itself be recorded that we might honor and glorify Him. This speaks of our lives under His leadership. He continuously records our lives and one day we will stand before him to hear of our deeds. Will they be of wood, hay and stubble or gold, silver and precious stones?

The Temple was built from stones from under the earth; we are the living stones building the church. “you yourselves, as living stones, are built up as a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood and to offer spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” [1Pet 2]

1kings 5 1pet 2 livngstones2a

April 28, 2016

Me, Insomnia and God

1peter 2 insomnia2 Psalm 17 and 1Peter 2:

Peter said we are “living stones.” Even “living stones” experience insomnia; such as when the roar of the heavens and flashes of lightning blow across the landscape. What do you do in those hours as you wonder what the new morning will provide? Although the psalmist most likely was not lying awake in a thunderstorm, he was using his precious nighttime to listen to God and do some self-reflection. How about us? Do we spend time in the night hours reflecting and allowing the Illuminating Holy Spirit to do his work? If we listen we might hear well done OR we may hear him whisper you grieved me and quenched my work within you. It is at that time that we are to apply Peter’s wise counsel: “abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul.” These are our natural appetites that appeal to our sinful nature and proving we are double-minded as James says.

Thus, we see why the psalmist said: “I have purposed that my mouth will not transgress.” Yes, we purpose and we did that yesterday and the day before and will do it again tomorrow. We are a fickle people who often need this time of self-reflection to see our conformity to this world and why we need the transforming power of the Word to renew our minds. And it must be a daily, moment by moment struggle but we can begin with that purpose as we submit to the Lord.

Beloved, like this living stone, let’s make conscious decisions to do some self-correction much like a sailor does out on the water.