I Peter 2 - "Living Stones"

I love, love, love when the Lord brings two things to my attention that are along the same thought. Yesterday a friend shared with me the song "Living Stones" and then today the Lord led me to I Peter 2…

Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. 2 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, 3 now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.

The Living Stone and a Chosen People

4 As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— 5 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. 6 For in Scripture it says:

“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.”

7 Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe,

“The stone the builders rejected
    has become the cornerstone,”

8 and,

“A stone that causes people to stumble
    and a rock that makes them fall.”

They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for. 9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Living Godly Lives in a Pagan Society

11 Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul. 12 Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.

13 Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, 14 or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. 15 For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. 16 Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves. 17 Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor. 18 Slaves, in reverent fear of God submit yourselves to your masters, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh. 19 For it is commendable if someone bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because they are conscious of God. 20 But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. 21 To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.

22 “He committed no sin,
    and no deceit was found in his mouth.”

²³ When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. ²⁴ “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.” ²⁵ For “you were like sheep going astray,” but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

The Lord is our Living Stone for all who believe in Him and know He is a living God. Matthew Henry describes Him as…

"Christ is called a Stone, to teach his servants that he is their protection and security, the foundation on which they are built. He is precious in the excellence of his nature, the dignity of his office, and the glory of his services. All true believers are a holy priesthood; sacred to God, serviceable to others, endowed with heavenly gifts and graces. But the most spiritual sacrifices of the best in prayer and praise are not acceptable, except through Jesus Christ. Christ is the chief Corner-stone, that unites the whole number of believers into one everlasting temple, and bears the weight of the whole fabric."

When we live for Him and allow Him to be our Cornerstone, we will enjoy the blessings of being chosen. I was thinking yesterday as I sat in my first Ash Wednesday service about how people are giving things up for Lent in order to draw closer to the Lord. There is nothing wrong with that but I have to wonder what do they do the other days of the year. Are they living a sanctified life where the Lord is first? What happens after the forty days? Do they go back to allowing something to be ahead of God in their lives? Maybe I'm just thinking different about it since I have never participated in it nor taught about it in the church but I'm thinking us drawing nearer to the Lord needs to be a 24/7, 365 days a year relationship. But maybe Lent helps people to refocus on God in a way that will enable them to live closer to Him even after Lent is over. 

In our devotions over I Peter this morning Doc and I were to ask each other some questions about our marriage pertinent to verse seventeen on honoring one another. The questions were:

• What makes you feel appreciated? • How do you "honor" someone? • How can we honor each other in our marriage? Honoring one another in married life may include relatively simple habits. For example, try to consult each other about major decisions. And honor each other with your conversation — including how you speak about one another to family, friends and neighbors. Regardless of how you feel about your relationship, step back and ask yourself how the Lord sees your spouse and your marriage. When you see your marriage through God's eyes, you'll discover the divine purpose He had in mind when He brought you together.

No matter how well anyone thinks they are doing in the honoring department there is always room for improvement. I am so grateful to have a husband who not only loves me but most importantly loves me with the love of the Lord. Our marriage is built on Christ as our Cornerstone. In turn, we are living as living stones for the Lord. Our faith is grounded in Him and flows from us. We do not have to fear anything because He is our Rock. We live as "Living Stones" for people who need encouragement through the Lord.

Dear Jesus,
Thank You for the way You are the Cornerstone of my life and my marriage. Thank You for giving me Your guidance and love. Thank You for Your strength…physical, mental, emotional, spiritual and financial. Father, You know the tasks ahead of me today. I pray for clarity in my thoughts. I pray for more of You and less of me in order to accomplish what You so desire of me. Father, You have taken me out of my comfort zone twice already this week and showed me Your strength through both situations. Today is another time of leaving my comfort zone and once again I am leaning on You as my Living Stone. Father, enable me to continue to be a living stone for people to lean on. You bless me in abundance through people's words and actions. I am so grateful for those blessings. Thank You Lord for not only being My Cornerstone but being the Cornerstone of my marriage. Lord, give me Your eyes to my marriage…enable me to know how I can better honor my husband through words and actions. Father, thank You once again for being Our Cornerstone. Amen.