Living Stones

Under our deck I have a collection of various rocks that have been dug up from our yard's garden areas. They're differing sizes with some chunks of concrete and asphalt mixed in. I'm hoping that I'll be able to use them for a positive purpose somewhere along the line.

In this weekend's reading from the Acts of the Apostles, we'll hear about anti-Jesus people picking up stones and using them to kill Stephen who boldly bore witness to Jesus being the Christ, the very Son of God. In our reading from 1 Peter 2, we'll hear of God making His people into living stones which are being built into a spiritual house.

It's interesting to note that Stephen's first job in the church was not preaching, but helping to distribute food. What is important is that he is described as a man full of the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit knows how to take living stones of all shapes and sizes and put them where He needs them to be for the growth of the Kingdom. In fact, Saul, one of the people there approving of throwing the stones at Stephen, would later be repurposed as a living stone as the Apostle Paul. God indeed knows what to do with his people.

Are you interested in being a part of that positive growth? For the next few weekends we'll look at different ways the Lord uses each of us and identify what He may be using each of us to do as He uses us to invite people to know Jesus and provide opportunities to grow in His love. Rather than stones just gathered in a pile doing nothing, the Lord has a positive purpose for each of us.