“You also, like living stones, are being built
into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual
sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 2:5)
Walking
along the stony beach of Grand Guave, Haiti they shone brightly in the
mid-afternoon sunlight – blood red, emerald green, ebony marbled with
Carolina blue, ochre, and a myriad of other colors – bathed in the salty
waters of the Caribbean. These rocks were eye catching, brilliantly
colored and simply beautiful.
Then I noticed. 
Just a few
feet away from the sea’s reach were piles of stones – dry, dull, dirty
and dusty. They were nothing special to look at. Nothing about them
would in any way compel you to run for an empty bottle to collect a few
and show them off to friends.
But they were the exact same type
of rocks as those in the water.
I was reminded of the passage in
Ephesians 5 where it speaks of Christ loving the church, giving up
himself so that she can be made holy, “cleansing her by the washing
with water through the word” all so that the church could be
presented to Christ radiant, stainless, spotless, holy and blameless.
(Eph 5:25-27)
When we allow the waves of life to carry us away
from the cleansing, renewing power of the Word and the Holy Spirit, we
find ourselves dry, dirty and dusty. Sometimes we hang out just at the
water’s edge, allowing high tide to remind us of the cool, refreshing,
purifying capabilities it holds but spending most of our time lifeless
and dull.
If we will remain in Him, soak in His presence and go
deep in His Word we will be living stones that radiate a beauty people
are unaccustomed to seeing. They will notice and it will awaken a desire
in them to come close to the water and to experience the transforming
power of love.
What kind of stone are you?
