10th August 2024

Jesus, the living stone

I have a couple of cactus plants on my windowsill. They are a very slow-growing variety called Lithops. They require very little water but thrive on lots of sunshine. I’ve had them for two years and they have just now started changing, growing from the centre. It almost seems as if the outside parts are opening up to let the inside emerge and they might even bloom. They are also called Living Stones. 

In 1 Peter 2:4-5 (CSB), Jesus is called the Living Stone: ‘As you come to him, a living stone—rejected by people but chosen and honored by^[c] God—you yourselves, as living stones, a spiritual house, are being built to be a holy priesthood] to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.’ He’s the chief cornerstone and as we are being built into his church, we are the living stones of his building. 

Unlike those little cacti, we require much water – the living water of the Holy Spirit. We also need lots of exposure, not to sunshine, but to the living Son of God. But like them, we can also be slow-growing, and our growth arises from the centre of our being as we are nourished and tended by the Gardener of our souls. 

Those little Living Stones are a good reminder of our identity in Christ – part of his body, built on the foundation of his love and nurtured by his grace.

Study by Tammy Tkach

First published on 23 July 2024, at www.gemsofgodsgrace.wordpress.com a personal blog which is not sponsored by Grace Communion International.

About the writer:
Tammy Tkach is the Assistant Pastor of the Eugene, Oregon, USA, Grace Communion International congregation. She is a speaker and writer, and publishes a blog at www.gemsofgodsgrace.wordpress.com  

Local congregation:
You are welcome to attend one of our local church congregations located throughout the UK and Ireland. For details of your nearest local congregation, check on our website, Grace Communion International | Grace Communion International under the ‘Churches’ tab, or ring +44 (0)1858 437099.

Word of Life contact:
wordoflife@gracecom.church