Growing up as a kid I loved to throw my rocks in the water to see them skip across the surface or make the biggest splash. There were never enough rocks to throw. I remember collecting rocks whenever my parents took us camping in the High Desert or in the Sierras. I looked hard for the most interesting shapes and colors. But as I got older, my interest in rocks grew less and eventually all the rocks I collected were missing or tossed away. Looking back at family photos I can remanence my old rock collection in a box and remember the fun of holding onto something special.

Rocks have an endless form of shapes, sizes, colors, texture, and weight, covering the entire surface of the planet. Most of the time rocks usually get in the way and we move them aside with our feet, hands, or tools. And when picked up and thrown with a little force, a rock can do damage to anything it hits, such as a window, a wall, a car, and especially a human being. As far back to the ancient days of Jewish tradition, stoning was used as a form of capital punishment against those that broke the law. Throughout the Old and New Testament in the Bible, stoning was a common practice. Here are just a few verses:

And he that blasphemeth the name of the LORD, he shall surely be put to death, and all the congregation shall certainly stone him. Leviticus 24:16

If a damsel that is a virgin be betrothed unto an husband, and a man find her in the city, and lie with her; Then ye shall bring them both out unto the gate of that city, and ye shall stone them with stones that they die; the damsel, because she cried not, being in the city. Deuteronomy 22:23-24

They found a man that gathered sticks upon the sabbath day. … And the LORD said unto Moses, The man shall be surely put to death: all the congregation shall stone him with stones…. And all the congregation brought him without the camp, and stoned him with stones, and he died; as the LORD commanded Moses. Numbers 15:32-56

When we study John in Chapter 8 in the New Testament, we read about a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery and was brought to Jesus Christ by the Pharisees as a test to see if the Messiah was a liberal in matters of the Law of God. It’s an amazing story.

At dawn He appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

Jesus did not “condemn” or didn’t throw a rock, because He had no box of rocks to throw. Jesus was sinless, pure and holy.

When I think about the rocks people throw today, we, as sinners, need to be reminded of the Fruits of the Spirit. Paul’s letter to the Galatians in verses 5:22-23 teaches us nine biblical attributes of the Holy Spirit that we need to live by in our daily Christian walk:

We call them Fruits, because they’re delicious and they feed the body with healthy nutrients and vitamins. Contrary to rocks, the fruits indwell in us through the Holy Spirit. In 1 Corinthians 3:16, Paul teaches us our body is a temple where the Holy Spirit dwells, “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?” The Fruits can only come from the Holy Spirit sent by God, Himself.

So why the rocks, Erik? When we comfort every day situations with other people in this world, we have a choice to make: choose a Fruit from the Holy Spirit to show or reach for a rock in your box to throw. Every rock in your box has a name, and when thrown they can hurt, irritate, or devastate on all levels. Here are some common rocks we may carry in our box:

A few days ago I was putting my three year old, Elliot, to bed. He was very tired and as he rolled into bed I could see his eyes drooping. While I was putting his pajamas on him, mom came inside his room and left the door open letting the light from the family room inside. I turned to Kimberly and asked her if she could close the door to keep the room dark for Elliot. Kimberly said “no, I need the light.” I asked a second time with a please and her response again was “no.” Not sure what just happened. I knew prior to her coming into the room she was diffusing a situation with our two daughters. I became upset and reached into my box of rocks and called her a “jerk” while changing Elliot. I knew my rock hurt her feelings. I was mad inside and hurt. I was wrong. I realized my mistake and later in the evening apologized to her. Kimberly is an amazing wife that has a heart of grace and understanding.

Recently in my Mens of Valor Bible Study on Tuesday nights at Harvest, we studied the words spoken by Jesus Christ in Luke 6:27-31:

“But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you.

In John 13:34-35, Jesus said “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Are you listening to Jesus, our Lord and Savior?

I believe everyone walking on this planet carries a box rocks wherever they go in their daily lives. The boxes range in size and the rocks come in all different shapes and sizes. At the end of the day some of the boxes are empty, some may have less rocks, or others may have gathered up more rocks. Boxes may accumulate rocks over years, and sometimes they show up in the box in an instant at anytime when you least expect it. No matter the size or quantity, we all carry a box of rocks.

As a Christian, its time for me to leave my box wherever I go in my daily walk. I don’t want to throw any more rocks, because I know these rocks reflect the world of sin and not of Jesus Christ. Instead, I need to carry my bag of fruits and show them to everyone I come across each day. A Fruit can bring so much harmony and peace to any given situation. Yes, it’s hard to stop reaching inside the box of rocks, but with prayer and focusing on the Holy Spirit the rocks will disappear and eventually be gone. Amen.

So… how many rocks did you throw today?

God bless.