Click the picture above to read the Bible passage: Luke 9:28-36.

“No, a rocks not alive, No-no-no-no-no!” ~ Sesame Street Song
“The rocks will cry out.” ~ The Bible (Luke 19:40)

Missing the point… At Fall Advance I told a story about my upcoming doctor’s appointment. Every time I see Dr. Schaeffer he asks if I am exercising, which leads me into a long dialogue. “I play Frisbee with the students when we go on retreat and I walked all over the place on choir tour and I might do the ropes course at camp this summer…” To which he replies, “So you exercise four times a year?” “Uh, yeah…” The doctor will then go into a tirade about the importance of exercise and staying fit. Not just for now, but the future—portraying working out is a fountain of youth.

Then I turned the lesson from physical improvement to spiritual. How many of us only dive into the waters of Christ at youth camp or retreat or d-now? Our walk with Christ is less about random mountain tops and more about us just walking the other direction when the events are over…

Afterward, multiple people came up to me and each one asked, “so are you going to start exercising.” I was honest and said, “maybe, but probably not.” To which they were all stunned, as though I was not following through with my message. But they missed the point. I never promised to tone my body; instead, I promised to walk with Christ. And I charged the group to do the same—to get their spiritual lives into shape… “For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come” (1Tim 4:8).

But it is easy to miss the point. To see only the physical and miss the spiritual! Take Peter, he is a part of an amazing moment when the glory of Christ is revealed, but all he can talk about is building shelters for Jesus and the prophets—as though remaining in this physical life was the goal…

Stone (or Soap)

⁴As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him— ⁵you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. ~ 1Peter 2:4-5

The physical reality of our lives is so important—to the world. But God does not look on the outside. Instead His vision dives into our core. And not only does He sees the heart, but He also sees where we can go. He see that we are an integral part of his plan—a plan that is building up to salvation! ~ You have a soap bar and a knife. Carve out how God sees your life… maybe a talent He wants to use or a place He wants you to minister or…

Questions:

1. Your soap carving may not be a masterpiece, but what did God reveal to you?
2. Have you ever missed the point?  Describe how.
3. How does the church (or you) focus on physical rather than the spiritual? Why do we often focus on the physical over the spiritual?