THE FOUNDATION IS EVERYTHING
TUESDAY, JULY 8
READING: 1 PETER 2:4-10
The image of Christ as a cornerstone has endured through the centuries and inspired followers of Jesus for generations; however, in our modern age of laser levels and satellite guided machinery, perhaps the image has lost some of its luster. In Jesus’ day, the cornerstone was the most significant part of a building project and it would be the first stone placed on any build site. The cornerstone ensured that all the other materials could be laid out correctly, each being fitted perfectly based upon the careful placement of the cornerstone.
Because of Christ, we are enabled to become something we could not have been without. Him. Peter describes the church as a spiritual house being built up. Each believer must first ‘come to him’ and then we can fit together with others to form something glorious and world-changing. What once was a pile of rocks is now being masterfully constructed into a place of welcome, of shelter, and of community gathering.
Notice how Peter shifts the image at the end of the passage to describe the transformation from a scattered and disconnected people to a unified, priestly nation whose purpose is to ‘proclaim the excellencies” of our God to the world.
Because of Christ, we are enabled to become something we could not have been without. Him. Peter describes the church as a spiritual house being built up. Each believer must first ‘come to him’ and then we can fit together with others to form something glorious and world-changing. What once was a pile of rocks is now being masterfully constructed into a place of welcome, of shelter, and of community gathering.
Notice how Peter shifts the image at the end of the passage to describe the transformation from a scattered and disconnected people to a unified, priestly nation whose purpose is to ‘proclaim the excellencies” of our God to the world.
REFLECTION
My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness
I dare not trust the sweetest frame
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness
I dare not trust the sweetest frame
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name
- Slowly read the stanza above from The Solid Rock, by Edward Mote.
- What words or phrases are you drawn to?
- Ask God what He might be trying to say through the words you’ve noticed.
- When you need support, who or what do you tend to lean on?
- Do these support structures keep you aligned with Jesus, The Cornerstone?