Day 5: Living Stones in God's House
Reading: Ephesians 4:1-6
Unity in the Body
4 Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. 2 Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. 3 Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. 4 For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future.
5 There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
6 one God and Father of all,
who is over all, in all, and living through all.
***
Reading: 1 Peter 2:4-5
Living Stones for God’s House
4 You are coming to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God’s temple. He was rejected by people, but he was chosen by God for great honor.
5 And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are his holy priests.[a] Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God.
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Devotional:
You are not meant to reflect God alone. You are one living stone among many, being fitted together into a dwelling place where the world can encounter the living God. The church is not a building or a Sunday morning event. It is a community of transformed people whose collective life bears witness to the reality of Jesus Christ. Humility, gentleness, patience, love, unity, and peace are not just personal virtues. They are the mortar that holds the stones together. When each member is being genuinely transformed from the inside out, the house becomes what God designed it to be: a place where the world sees and recognizes the God who loves them.
How are your attitudes and behaviors currently contributing to or working against the unity and witness of your local church community?
Identify one person in your church community with whom you need to practice patience, gentleness, or forgiveness this week. Take one concrete step toward that today.
Unity in the Body
4 Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. 2 Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. 3 Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. 4 For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future.
5 There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
6 one God and Father of all,
who is over all, in all, and living through all.
***
Reading: 1 Peter 2:4-5
Living Stones for God’s House
4 You are coming to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God’s temple. He was rejected by people, but he was chosen by God for great honor.
5 And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are his holy priests.[a] Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God.
*********************************************************************************************************************
Devotional:
You are not meant to reflect God alone. You are one living stone among many, being fitted together into a dwelling place where the world can encounter the living God. The church is not a building or a Sunday morning event. It is a community of transformed people whose collective life bears witness to the reality of Jesus Christ. Humility, gentleness, patience, love, unity, and peace are not just personal virtues. They are the mortar that holds the stones together. When each member is being genuinely transformed from the inside out, the house becomes what God designed it to be: a place where the world sees and recognizes the God who loves them.
How are your attitudes and behaviors currently contributing to or working against the unity and witness of your local church community?
Identify one person in your church community with whom you need to practice patience, gentleness, or forgiveness this week. Take one concrete step toward that today.
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4 Comments
I think it’s easy to have the right mindset and be that “stonework” when things seem to be going well. It becomes harder when things don’t seem to be. It’s imperative that the church remains a beacon of light during the good and bad times. I know I struggle with that. I pray I become stronger and that my life would ultimately show the power of Christ and lead towards a more unified spirit.
❤️
Unity in the church is so important to God and you see the evidence of that in how hard the devil fights it. He really really fights our unity which means we have to make it a huge priority.
I agree and I think that’s his current plan. Unity and oneness in Christ has to be our top and most important priority.