1 Peter 2: 4-5; “As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans 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…”
It is interesting how the Lord brings messages or words to each of us. As we walk in the Spirit and live out our days with Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, He prompts us with words or messages impressed upon and then revealed in our hearts. As it states in Isaiah, if you are willing and obedient you will eat the good things of the land. In essence, if you desire and your heart longs to live a blessed life, live out God’s Word and willingly obey the guidance He instructs for righteous living. There is a message just in that statement, but today I want to focus on the verse from 1 Peter referenced above.
Sherry and I recently went to Colorado Springs and had an amazing time and not only enjoyed the town but went on a hike in the mountains. While on the hike we found a tree that had its roots clinging to a large rock, almost like the tree would topple over or lose its stability without the rock. That is the picture selected for this message, a tree clinging to what I am going to reference as “the Rock”. At first when you look at it, you think the tree's roots have just surrounded the rock and there is no relevance, however if you look closer you will see the rock is actually holding the tree in place and giving it stability. As we stood there and
admired the beauty of the situation, Sherry mentioned this would be a good message. I thought about this comment and while in prayer the Lord began to reveal the relevance of what we had seen.
While studying for this message, I did a quick online search and found that the word rock is mentioned 128 times and the word stone is mentioned 367 in the Bible. Again, this was just a quick search so it could vary, but the context is the relevance of the topic and why God would include references to rocks and stones so often in His Word? I find it interesting that Jesus is referred to in 1 Peter as the Living Stone and again in Isaiah 28:16 as, “a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation”.
When we continue to dig deeper into this revelation, the Bible verse below I believe sums up the message for today. 1 Peter 2:6-8:
“See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.”
“The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,”
Jesus is the cornerstone to life. When He walked on this earth, He lived without sin and John 5:19 states it best, “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.” Jesus could only do what He saw His father doing. As a side note for another day, Jesus stated His Father is doing, that means His Word is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8) and has relevance throughout time, not just in history.
As we walk through our days, our efforts, our goals should be to live the same as Jesus. The verse we are starting with states we too are living stones and are being built into a spiritual house. That means each word we speak and action we choose should be salt and light to this dark world. Our family, friends, workplace and community should see something different within and through us as we walk through these last days.
The question is how do we get there, what is the secret sauce as they say? The secret is really not a secret at all, it is Jesus and our willingness and desire to live by God’s Word, His Truth. As with the picture for this message, the tree is firmly holding on to or even clinging to the Rock, the Living Rock we know as Jesus and His willingness to be our source of Truth and strength, our stability and the one that holds us up. As it relays in Jeremiah 17:7-8:
“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”
In Jeremiah it is relating the tree to you and I and the water is the living Word of God. Where do we find our stability? The same place the tree on the side of the mountain, we attach ourselves, our lives, our devotions to the Cornerstone, the Living Rock, Jesus Christ. We open our hearts, souls and minds to Jesus and allow Him to enter unrestricted, with all envy, bitterness, hatred, jealousy or any other fleshly inhibitor released and let go. We release the flesh and receive His forgiveness, love, peace and joy. To be like a living stone as it states above, I encourage you today to examine your heart. Are you carrying around luggage of despair, anger and bitterness? Are your roots firmly secured in this world, or in His presence? James 1:6-8 assists us to clarify what it means to be attached to this world, “But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.”
To be secure, to be a living stone stable in your ways, free yourself from the things of this earth and securely plant your roots in the Word, Jesus Christ (John 1:14). Only Jesus is the One that can bring stability and purpose to all your ways. Be blessed and may your days be filled with His Peace and your heart with unconditional love!
Shalom!!
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