Who Are You Putting Your Faith In?

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.”
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,” 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.
1 Peter 2:6-8

Before I begin my devotions I always pray that God will lead me into all truth and that any words I write here, will be words from Him, not from me. I want to be very careful on what I say because the Word of God is not to be taken lightly. So when I write, it is always with trepidation and with an ear listening for guidance from the Holy Spirit, so that I do not go off on a tangent, leading God's people astray. I take the discerning of Scripture very seriously. That said, let's look at the verses above and I will attempt to convey what I heard the Holy Spirit telling me about this passage.

The chosen and precious cornerstone spoke above is Jesus Christ. How do we know this? Scripture confirms it (Acts 4:10-12; Ephesians 2:20-22; Isaiah 28:16). What is the importance of a cornerstone? The cornerstone (also known as the foundation stone) is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation. This stone is the most important stone in the structure because all the other stones will be set in reference to this stone. So it determines the position of the entire structure.

Jesus is the chief cornerstone

To those who have trusted in Jesus as their Saviour, we are now part of the structure that Jesus is building aka - the church. Everyone who trusts in Jesus will now have their lives aligned (or set) in reference to Jesus. Everything about the life of the individual who claims Jesus as Saviour (as their chief cornerstone) determines their entire position (worldview) of life. This is why Christians often seem like intolerant, impossible people to the world at large. Our view of life is "set in stone" as it were, based on the Word of God. And who is that Word? Jesus! (John 1:1; John 1:14). Our Chief Cornerstone. Therefore, we are built upon a solid foundation and need never be ashamed of that.

But this cornerstone has become a stumbling block to many and the parallels in Scripture to modern construction today are astounding. Why? 

Because the architects have rejected the cornerstone.

Until the development of modern construction, the stone was usually at a corner, possibly as the first of the foundation stones, and it was a real support. The modern cornerstone need not actually support, need not be positioned at a corner, and need not be part of the foundation; often it is placed ornamentally in the facade or in an interior wall or floor. 

(2016). In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved from http://www.britannica.com/technology/cornerstone

Today, those who reject God are like the architects that no longer need the cornerstone for structural support. The chief cornerstone - Jesus - has become a stumbling block to many and they believe He is not needed. He is simply a figure head to an institution they deem no longer viable. The sad thing about this is that by rejecting the cornerstone, they reject that for which they were destined for.

But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvellous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.
1 Peter 2:9-10, NKJV

Today, Jesus offers you the incredible privilege of becoming part of His holy nation.With Jesus as your chief cornerstone, your life will be built on a solid foundation, one that offers eternal rewards. The church (the body of Christ) is not a building made of stone. It is not a religion. It is not Catholic, Pentecostal, Baptist, Anglican or anything else. It is not an institution who claim Jesus as their figurehead. But the real church, is a body of people who believe in and trust Jesus as their Saviour. They have joined themselves to the Chief Cornerstone and it is because of Jesus that even the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.(Matthew 16:18).

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