The Cornerstone

Read 1 Peter 2:4-8

Next door to us they are building a house. It is almost done and they are ready to lay sod. There are two sizable piles of stone the builders have raked off the top of the soil to be hauled to a landfill. The value of common stones has not changed much over the last 2000 years. Most are plain, nondescript and just get in the way.

Once again, as God likes to do, He turns things upside down. In this case, He compares his Son, Jesus, to a stone. He says, "My Son, Jesus, is a living stone rejected by men (v.4), a rejected cornerstone (v. 7)." God points out that, in the eyes of the world, Jesus is simply not of much value, even an offense.

Which is more important—the values of the world or the values of our eternal God? If God says, "I am choosing this precious stone (vs. 4, 6)," could there be anything more precious? Amazingly, God also says that we are living stones He is using to build a special spiritual house to His Glory. Do you see that God has chosen you and the church together for a precious calling?

QUESTIONS:

1. What makes something valuable? What would make something of the highest value?

2. As living stones we are being built into a spiritual house to offer up spiritual sacrifices. What do you think are spiritual sacrifices?

PRAYER:

Lord, help us to see what You value that we could see what is truly precious. May we offer up spiritual sacrifices for Your glory.

Lee Miller

Rock my World

1 Peter 2:7 (NIV)
Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, "The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone.

Living Stone, Cornerstone, The Rock of Salvation, my Rock and Fortress...all beautiful analogies of Jesus - wonderful pictures of strength and resilience.

Jesus is the foundation of the church, the capstone which holds the entire structure in place, the over-arching strength and security. When Jesus called Simon Peter to be a follower, Jesus called him Peter, (the rock); another stone in our heritage.

"The stone the builders rejected has become the Capstone." Psalm 118:22

Can you think of personal rocks in your life? Are there those people who are tough and strong, solid as a rock? Those who you can depend upon to be strong when you are weak? Perhaps a sibling, or close friend who knows you so very well.

As a child, my solid rocks were my grandparents. They were great sounding boards, they encouraged, offered unconditional love and were my strength when I was frail. They were as solid as could be. Their actions towards me, influenced my life - not just in the moment - but even now, decades later.

1 Peter 2:4-5 (NIV)
As you come to him, the living Stone--rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him--
you 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.

1 Peter 2:4-10

The Cornerstone

JANUARY 5                                                                                                  

Scripture Reading
Read Acts 4:8-12 and reflect on the passage.

Peter’s life changed when he knew salvation through Jesus Christ, the Chief Cornerstone. He knew there was no other path to salvation, no other name to salvation. Filled with the Holy Spirit, he spoke boldly, preached boldly of salvation and how to obtain it!

Man rejected Jesus, “the stone the builders rejected,” but He was exalted by the Father “which has become the Cornerstone.”

Peter is echoing what Jesus said, “Salvation is found in no one else.” We can’t be saved by being good, keeping the law, being sincere, kind, or religious; we can’t buy our salvation.

Scripture tells us “there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” It was just proven –- the lame man had never been able to walk, yet through the power of the name of Jesus, he now stood healed! 

Peter didn’t suggest that Jesus is a way to salvation. He proclaimed that Jesus is the only way to salvation. God designated Jesus to be the Savior of the world, no one else his equal. Our focus should be on Jesus, the Cornerstone, the way to an eternal relationship with God. No other name, no other way!

QuestionsDo you believe that the name of Jesus is the only way to salvation? 

Are you willing to call on His name, in all circumstances?What will it take for you to boldly and confidently proclaim salvation through Jesus’ name to others who may not know?

Prayer

Lord Jesus Christ, fill me with Your Holy Spirit; embolden me to profess Your saving name now and always. I pray in Your name. Amen.

                                                                                                                                    Becki Bork

Weak Made Strong, In Christ Alone

Cornerstone

11 Jesus is

  “‘the stone you builders rejected,
   which has become the cornerstone.’
Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:11-12

I am not an architect, so after reading today’s passage I quickly went to google to look up the meaning of cornerstone.  Wikipedia defined cornerstone as,

The cornerstone (or foundation stone or setting stone) is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation, important since all other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure.

How cool is it that? Jesus is called the cornerstone, or the “stone” that will be a reference to all other “stones”, which is us.  Jesus is our reference.  Salvation is found in no one else. We look to him for how to live. We look to him when we need to know how to respond to conflict. He is our reference when striving to put others needs before our own. We don't need to look any further.

I couldn’t help but be reminded of a worship song that I love titled, “Cornerstone”, by Hillsong.  

The chorus says,

“Christ alone, cornerstone.

Weak made strong in the Saviors love.  

Through the storm He is Lord, Lord of all.

Christ alone is Lord of all!  He is the answer to the problems of the world.  Seek him today for your comfort.  I have linked the song, Cornerstone if you want to listen to it.  Just click here or on the picture above to enjoy the music.

Have a blessed day.

Read today's passage here Acts 4:8-12

It's all about Trust

Matthew 21:42-22 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:

“‘The stone the builders rejected

has become the cornerstone;

the Lord has done this,

and it is marvelous in our eyes’?

“Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. Anyone who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed.

We have heard stories and sermons over the years about the Cornerstone, this mighty stone the builders rejected. Depending on my situation in life at the time of hearing one of these talks, I get a differing message.  That is one of the wonderful things about the Scriptures - they speak to our heart in ways that touch us personally and right in the moment.

This portion of the Gospel of Matthew, the Parable of the Tenants, is a story of greed, disobedience and evil.  I question why would the tenants, people who occupy land rented from the owner, behave in such a despicable manner? Where does their twisted way of thinking come from? What makes them think they have any more claim to the land than they originally agreed to when they contracted with the owner?

The question I ask myself is, how often do I lay claim to more than is rightfully mine?  Do I go right over the top of someone to get what I want?  Do I leave a trail of pain and destruction behind me? I wonder what it could have been like, had the tenants in this story worked with the landowner and his son.  What a wonderful life they all could have lived had the tenants lived up to their end of the bargain. Imagine a relationship of trust and love that would result in sharing of wealth.

This sounds like a utopia, a dream world that only happens in our dreams. The Bible tells us we can have this life.  We can trust our Landowner to "give us this day, or daily bread," and we can have a relationship with him that goes deep and give life. Jesus was that son in the parable and He is our Cornerstone today.  We can build our lives on Him and be confident there will be a fruitful and profitable tomorrow.

Do you need a Cornerstone in your life today? Do you know someone who does? Is there a storm brewing that will challenge your foundation? All we need to do is call upon "the stone the builders rejected," for safety, for our salvation.

Matthew 21:33-46

The Cornerstone of Christian Living

Acts 4:10-12 (NIV) It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed.  He is "'the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone'.  Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."

Think what our lives would be like had there been no Christmas. If Jesus never came to earth as a child and never matured into an adult with the mission to obtain our salvation, what a shambles our world would be in. Would our world even exist? Thankfully, we don't have to imagine this. But but for those who have not been introduced to Jesus yet or for those who know Him but have rejected the salvation He offers, life isn't worth living.

Psalm 118:22 (NIV)  The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; Jesus is called our cornerstone, the glue that holds us together.  When we are faced with overwhelming circumstances, when everything around us is falling apart, it is Jesus' love and mercy that brings pulls us through and makes us stronger. His grace is the foundation of our future. 

Mark 12:10 (NIV)  Haven't you read this scripture: "'The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; When I look back over my journals from the past three years it is obvious who held my life together. During a season when my world began to crumble, the Cornerstone of Life kept me strong and reinforced the walls of my faith. 

1 Peter 2:7 (NIV)  Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, "The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone, Without Jesus there would be no church because it wouldn't be able to stand.  Without Jesus I would have no life, I would not be able to stand.  He holds me in the palm of His hand and He shows me how to keep it all together. What's your testimony to the Cornerstone of your life?                         

Acts 4:5-12

Prayer is Working

Psalm 118:22-24 (NIV) The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone;  the LORD has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes.  This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.    

Just because those in authority say something, doesn't make it so.  When a leader, someone in power, makes a decree, that doesn't mean there is truth to back it up.  Position doesn't dictate perfection; sometimes it only indicates the pursuit of an agenda.  Jesus encountered this when He was up against the Pharisees.  These leaders, religious leaders even, had an agenda and it did not include the things Jesus was teaching.

We all experience rejection at some point in time.  A friend might reject our point of view, a family member could reject our advice, or our peers may reject us when we are given some authority over them.  This is all natural and only means we need to explain ourselves better, or perhaps change our attitude.  When we suffer rejection at the hands of those who we feel should be supporting us, maybe it is time to double check our motives.

But, for Jesus to be rejected by the religious leaders it is apparent these leaders' motives may not have been so pure. Reject usually only means hurt feelings or lost opportunities.  But when Jesus was put through the ultimate rejection, when we was put to death, His opponents caused the the doorway to Heaven be opened.  The rejection of Jesus turned into the acceptance, the salvation of Jesus' followers.

Now we can sing, "This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it."    Amen.


Read/Listen to Psalm 117,118,119

Psalm 118:19-29

I always felt as if I were a failure in school.  In grade school the boys made fun of me because of my weight, the nuns didn't like me because of my parents, and I didn't like me either.  This isn't a pity party; it is just the way it was back then.

Then I entered high school and most of my issues were self-inflicted from years of living with low self-esteem.  I shied away from social activities and only hung with two other girls who were much the same as I. Then I grew up, came out of my shell (somewhat) and learned how to be more sociable after entering the workforce.  Living in the world and working to support myself I learned that I could do a lot of things I never thought I could.

But, I still did not feel like I belonged.  It took years of learning about life and allowing me to be open to a personal relationship with Jesus before I was happy with life.  I think this is true of all of us to some extent.  Our background story is different, but many of the same fears and misgivings are the same. It takes a lot of growing up to get to the point in life where we can be content.  It takes a faith in Jesus to feel secure and filled with hope.

Jesus, the man who was rejected, scorned and beaten and then killed became our Savior; the Cornerstone for all Believers.  It is His love that gives me peace and joy.  It is His acceptance and grace that makes life worth living.

 ^"The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; 
 the LORD has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes.
 This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it."  (Psalm 118:22-24 (NIV) 

Read Psalm 118:19-29 here.

Listen to Psalm 118:19-29 here.

Matthew 21:23-46

My grandfather was a formidable man.  He was six foot five and always stood tall.  People respected him even though he was a meek and humble individual.  I grew up in an unstable and sometimes volatile environment making life often feel unsettled and unstable.  Thankfully my grandpa lived directly through the yard from me.  I could run over to his place anytime I needed to feel safe and secure.   

Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:
   “‘The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
the Lord has done this,
and it is marvelous in our eyes’? (Matthew 21:42)

The word 'cornerstone' in this passage it reminds me of my grandfather; it reminds me that we all need this cornerstone, a strong, binding, and certain force in our lives; an underpinning  Now that I am a believer I am even more drawn to a Cornerstone concept.  

When questioning this analogy one time, it was explained to me that a cornerstone is a foundation's strength; dug deep into the earth, it is the sustaining platform upon which an entire structure is built and upheld. When strong winds and fierce storms strike, this firm foundation will sustain the structure. Sounds like Jesus to me.  No wonder He is compared to a cornerstone, a capstone.  When life's storms batter our beings, Jesus is our strong foundation, the strong footing that keeps us together.

Do you need a Cornerstone in your life today?  Do you know someone who does?  Is there a storm brewing that will challenge your foundation?  All we need to do is call upon "the stone the builders rejected," for safety, for our salvation.

To read the text for today go here.

Precious Stone 1 Peter 2: 1-12

When I went to get my hair cut the other day, my hair dresser was beaming. I didn’t hesitate but immediately asked her what was new. With pride she showed me her hand which was now decorated with a beautifully cut diamond. She was engaged.

When did the use of this precious stone start signifying an engagement? Some of you may know the answer to that question. I find it interesting that a diamond usually symbolizes an engagement. There are four precious gemstones, the diamond, emerald, sapphire, and ruby. The rarity, brilliance and durability of the stone make it so sought after.

In our scripture today, Jesus is described as a precious stone to those who trust in him. I would say that Jesus fits the definition of a precious stone, wouldn’t you? He is rare; actually he is one of a kind. There has never been another man who lived a perfect life and died for all of humanity.

He is brilliant, In Acts 21 Paul describes Jesus appearing to him as a brilliant light that even his companions saw but did not understand. Jesus is durable. He withstood the sin of the world while hanging on the cross. Taking upon himself the sin of the world, so that all who call on his name would be saved.

Yes, we should all beam like the bride of Christ, not wearing a ring, but rather clothed in his righteousness, the righteousness of the only true precious stone.

Read the entire passage on Biblegateway.com 1 Peter 2:1-12