#dailydevotions #livingstones

Living Stones

1 Peter 2:4-5  “And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple.  What’s more, you are his holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God.

Metaphors!! Who doesn’t love a good metaphor? We use them everyday.  We hated them in English class.  We love them in ads and commercials.

What is a metaphor?  “A metaphor is a figure of speech that refers, for rhetorical effect, to one thing by mentioning another thing, it may provide clarity or identity hidden similarities between two ideas.” (wikipedia)
Life is a Highway?
Life is like a box of chocolates

Is life a highway?  Are we going to ride it all night long?  Are we goin’ do it my way?
Or is life like a box of chocolates?  You never know what you’re gonna’ get?

No, God has given us a manual for this life.  It is written down in His Holy Word!  It is all the directions one would ever need for an abundant life. Yes, we may not know what we are going to get in life.  But doing it “my way” doesn’t work.  We have all tried it; some have realized it only brings us misery.

When Jesus walked on this earth, he constantly used stories, parables and metaphors to help the people see truth.  He must have loved rocks and stones, because he left us with so many “gems” to dig out.   Rock is even one of His names.  If you remember we looked at the phrase “The Lord is”, in one of the lessons ( October 27,2016) was from Psalm 18:2. “The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

We have seen that God wanted the Israelites to build stone markers to help generations remember what He had done for them.  Joshua was instructed to build an altar of stones of remembrance.   God wrote the Law for Moses on two stone tablets.  God uses a rock to give living water to refresh the people in the wilderness.  David used smooth small stones to slay Goliath. Jesus was tempted by Satan to turn stones into bread.

And then we come to 1 Corinthians 3:12. “Now if any man build upon this foundation, gold, silver precious stones, wood, hay and stubble; every man’s work shall be manifest; for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.”

We are to build our lives on a firm foundation.  We saw that foundation is the cornerstone of our faith.  It is our Savior Jesus Christ.  “The stone that the builders rejected is now become the cornerstone. There is salvation in no one else!  God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.”  This is one of Peter’s first sermons after Pentecost from the book of the Acts of the Apostles.  It is the Apostle Paul who writes in Ephesians 2: 20 that “You (we) are members of God’s family. Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself.  We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. Through him you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by his spirit.”  We are God’s dwelling place. How awesome is that??

It is in Peter’s first epistle that we find we are “living stones” for God’s House. 1 Peter 2:4-9, “You are coming to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God’s temple.  He was rejected by people, but he was chosen by God for great honor.  And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple.” In verse 8, we read, “And, He is the stone that makes people stumble, the rock that makes them fall.  They stumble because they do not obey God’s word, and so they meet the fate that was planned for them.  9. But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people.”(NLT)

How are we to be living stones?  What does it mean?

As believers, we have placed or entrusted our lives in the Master builders hand.  He has crafted us exactly where he wants us to be used for his house.  (1 Corinthians 12:18 ESV) But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each of them as HE CHOSES.)  (Romans 12:5) “So we, though many, are one body, in Christ, and individually members of one another.”

And what is our function?

1 Peter 2:9  We are “to declare the praises of Him who called us out of the darkness of sin into the light of life and glory.”

Declare His praises, Walk in the light , and reflect His glory that is our job. We are to use the spiritual gifts given to us for ministry.

! Corinthians 3:16 also reminds us that we are God’s temple. “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and the Spirit of God dwells in you.”

We are stronger together than we are alone. If you have neglected your spot in the church body, you are not only hurting yourself and your testimony, you are hurting the entire body of Christ.  The church isn’t perfect. But it is God who builds and places the “living stones” together.  We are being purified, bringing up all the dross that does not bear the image of Christ. “Iron sharpens iron as one man sharpens another” Proverbs 27:17

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if one will fall, one will lift up his fellow.  But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!”

Find where God wants you to be joined in His building and use the gift he gave you for the body, his church, his building.  The body of Christ is compared to a marriage. The church is to be His bride, spotless and without blemish at His coming.   It isn’t always fun, there are difficult times.  There are disagreements, hurt feelings and disappointments.  But there should be no exit clauses.  We should hang together and let God work it out.  LOVE  the brethren is a commandment not a suggestion.  Even if you think the brethren isn’t acting loving, you can rise above and be true to what you are called to be.  Until Christ comes back, we are to remain in Him and in His body of believers.

BE A ROCK AND FULFILL YOUR ROLE!!
Until the next adventure,
Freda

https://youtu.be/qYXjXi8PtzQ  Colton Dixon  More of You