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Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever
is noble, whatever is lovely, whatever is
admirable
- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things. --
Philippians 4:8 |
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JESUS IS THE KEYSTONE |
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The dictionary defines a
keystone as the wedge-shaped piece at the crown of an arch that locks the
other pieces in place. Look around you as you travel and see if you can find
where keystones are in use. By definition, you must first find an arch. Most
of the keystones I've found are located in the arches of highway and
railroad tunnels. They can also be found in the architectural design of some
buildings.
The keystone is a vital link in an arch. If you had the blocks needed
to build an arch you could see the importance for yourself. Imagine building
your arch without mortar between the blocks. The first arch you build is
with a simple curved block at the top. Your friends help hold the blocks
steady until you place the crown piece. When you and your friends stand back
to admire your work, the arch would collapse into a pile of blocks.
Now try again. This time use a keystone at the top. When you stand back
this time, the arch remains standing. "Why's that?" you wonder. It's not
magic. The answer is that wonderfully shaped keystone. Because of it's
shape, it creates pressure on all the blocks, thus holding them in place.
Jesus is the keystone of our religion, our faith, and our lives. There
are many denominations in the Christian faith. Each could be represented by
a block in an arch. Every one of these has its own rituals, beliefs, and
rules. But there is one thing, one person, they all have in common - Jesus
Christ. Although denominations sometimes try to break away one from another,
Jesus is the keystone that keep all of them together, building a strong
structure to hold every person up to his love.
Our faith is made up of all the things in which we believe and all of
our religious practices. Again, each item is a block of an arch. Things may
include a Creator, a Savior, prayer, the church, communion, baptism,
sermons, and a myriad of other things. Jesus holds all of these together to
make us a solid follower of Christ.
Jesus is also the keystone that holds our lives together. We're made up
of the deeds we've done and the choices we've made over the span of our
lifetimes. The blocks on the left of the arch are our sins. Those on the
right are our good qualities. Jesus binds these things together to make us a
whole and unique person.
We have many arches in our lives; some big, some small. Give thanks to
our Lord Jesus Christ for holding them together. Without him, all our arches
would simply fall into meaningless heaps of blocks. |
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