Signs of the Times
Scripture Reading — 1 Peter 2:4-10
You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house ... 1 Peter 2:5
During the summer months in North America, roadways are often narrowed by rows of orange barrels and cones. One sign that travelers don't like to see is "Road Construction Ahead," knowing it means detours, traffic jams, and impatient drivers in the blistering heat. But roadwork is necessary for keeping streets and highways in good repair or improving traffic flow.
In our reading for today, Peter is speaking to struggling followers of Jesus who have discovered that the road ahead is full of unwelcome rough spots. In fact, they are experiencing so much suffering and hardship that it seems as if their entire lives are "under construction." But Peter encourages them with the reminder that their lives are undergoing renovation. Jesus, the master builder, is remodeling them into "a spiritual house" that reflects his own image.
Followers of Jesus are formed as living stones for the Master's service. Peter encourages us that the worldly way of life does not compare to the life Jesus would shape in us. Although life can be painful while "under construction," the result, in Christ, is a beautiful "people belonging to God." Our lives are the building material from which Jesus molds a people who will make a difference in the world, who are "called ... out of darkness into his wonderful light."
<p>Lord, thank you for choosing me to declare your praises. Please continue your construction in my life, that I may become more and more like you.</p><p> In your name, Amen.</p>
About the author — Reginald Smith
Dr. Reginald Smith is senior pastor at Roosevelt Park Community Christian Reformed Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he has served for seventeen years. He has also served as a pastor in Paterson, New Jersey. He and his wife, Sharon, have three daughters, Janelle, Katrina, and Mariah.
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