May 16

In Him the whole building is fitted together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord. — Eph 2:21 BSB

The body of Christ is currently scattered and, in a sense, fragmented. Some members of His spiritual body are now before the throne, "spirits of just men made perfect." Others are still wandering in the wilderness; some are still in the world, dead in sin, not yet called by grace, without the Spirit; and some have yet to be born, still hidden in the future. But it is on earth where all the members, at different times, are brought into a living and visible union with Christ, their Head.

When I was a boy in school in London, Waterloo Bridge was being built. My friends and I would sometimes go to what was called "The Stone Field," on the other side of the river, where the stones for Waterloo Bridge were being shaped and chiseled. That field is long gone now, likely covered with buildings, but Waterloo Bridge still stands. Those stones we played on as boys are now part of that beautiful structure, which Canova, the famous Italian sculptor, once said was worth coming to London just to see.

Now, think of this in spiritual terms. The Bible compares the body of Christ to a building: "Built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Jesus Christ himself as the cornerstone. In Him, the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord." Believers are the "living stones" in this building. Right now, many of them are in "the Stone Field," where they are being shaped and refined by the hand of the divine Architect. Just like the stones for Solomon's temple were prepared far away, so that no sound of hammering or chiseling would be heard during the building, these living stones are being prepared for future glory. Day by day, God's tools are at work on them, so that when the time comes, they will fit perfectly into the spiritual building.

I remember clearly that all the stones scattered across the field were marked and numbered, showing where each one was meant to go. Every stone was eventually moved to, and now fills, the exact place the architect intended. In the same way, every living stone in God's building was marked and chosen in eternity, is being shaped and prepared in time, and will, in future glory, be placed by the hand of the divine Architect into the spot designed for it.