I am a living stone

And think not to say to within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up Children unto Abraham. Matthew 3:9


I am a stone. This is an abrupt simile; unflattering in its implications, incomplete if aimed to convey meaning. It could mean that I am a cold person, isolated, ugly, strong or any other personification that can be derived from a stone. It does not; and I remain a stone.

Rather than a desire for self degradation, the inspiration for this realization came upon me as I read the word of God. I embraced this concept in the realization that our God is able to use even the most seemingly foolish observations to impart truths that cut deep into epicenter of who we are.

Separated from the Rock


“The lord is my defense and my God is the rock of my refuge” Psalm 93:22

A stone by definition is a smaller piece of a rock that has “broken away” or somehow over time has come to be separated from the rock that it was formerly part of. Many times in the bible God is referred to as the rock.

Brothers and sisters, the moment that sin came into this world we became stones, separated from the rock.

There are as many stones as there are men, and as many men as there are stones:

 There are stones in the deserts whose son baked surfaces are scraped by the sands in the wind. They are kicked about by jackals in the wild and trampled upon by camels. Their only hope is no hope at all as further desegmentation is inevitable.


 There are stones that lie in the oceans deep with no hope of reaching the shores. They remain in the same spot for centuries on end as plants grow upon their surface. This beautified surface is only a mask for a stone that is lost forever.


 There is the living kind of stone.

You see it is not a question of whether we are stones or not but of what kind of stones we are willing to be.

The Living kind of stone

And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up Children unto Abraham. Matthew 3:9

In the verse above taken from the early book of Matthew, you have John the Baptist preparing the way for our lord Jesus, asking the people to repent.

He knew that some of them would cling unto the fact that they were descendants of Abraham, and he quickly told them that it does not mean anything if they do not repent because “God is able to of these stones raise up Children unto Abraham”. In other words, as the bible has said “God is no respecter of persons”. It is nothing for him to take a mere stone and make it an heir unto Abraham. But how does this happen? I believe that the answer is found in the final chapter of Acts.

Go unto this people and say, Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand and seeing ye shall see, and not perceive: For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed, lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart and should be converted and I should heal them…Let it be known that therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles and that they will hear it”. Acts 28:26-28

Here you have the apostle Paul reprimanding the chief of the Jews because after explaining to them the truth of salvation through Christ they vehemently refused to listen. And so he told them that since they will not accept this message, behold it will go unto the gentiles who will hear. Just as John the Baptist had warned them earlier, if they do not repent God can raise up stones as heirs unto Abraham. And he did by way of sending the message of Jesus Christ unto everyone else. What you do with this message determines what kind of stone you are.

What kind of stone will you be?

Let the living stones join me in asking this question

There is something tragic, disturbing even, of the fact that these people had waited for 400 years for the messiah and when he came they esteemed him not, but rather persecuted him. Make no mistake the signs were there: As the prophecy of the messiah indicated, Jesus was a direct descendant of David, born in Bethlehem. He performed many miracles for all to see. But for many this just was not enough. There was a veil across the hearts of men that blocked any penetration of the truth.

Sadly this issue still persists today in the lives of many. Many hear but do not understand, see but do not perceive. I have been blessed enough to see and not just see but see it plainly. It is there, almost tangible in the sense that at times I feel like I can reach out and touch it. Touch what? The truth- That Jesus Christ is lord and we owe every second of our lives to him. It is not conjecture, a matter of opinion or even stated fact. It is truth; a truth that has sprung up a well of life in many, from which true peace and joy lies.

All I want to do is ask what kind of stone you will be? You can be the stone in the desert who is tossed about by the wind and scorched by the sun. You can be the stone in the ocean, whose cool, undisturbed and superficial existence belies the truth of the fact that it is forsaken.

But you can be a living stone: The kind that God raises up as a descendant unto Abraham. The kind that rested in David’s sling as it sailed towards Goliath (You will overcome obstacles), you can be one of the stones of which Jesus says will “Cry out” if the people ever stop saying “Blessed be the king that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest.” My friend, you can be “The stone that the builders disallowed, that becomes a corner stone”. You can be a living stone.