Monday, October
9, 2017
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. What’s more, you are his holy
priests. Through the mediation of Jesus
Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God. As the Scriptures say, “I am placing a
cornerstone in Jerusalem, chosen for great honor, and anyone who trusts in him will
never be disgraced.” Yes, you who trust
him recognize the honor God has given him. But for those who reject him, “The
stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.” 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. But you
are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s
very own possession. As a result, you
can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into
his wonderful light. “Once you had no
identity as a people; now you are God’s people. Once you received no mercy; now you have
received God’s mercy.”
1 Peter 2:4-10
(NLT)
Peter knew
what he was talking about. Once he was
nothing, even less than nothing; he denied his best friend and watched him
die. Now he was the head of a movement,
courageously speaking to thousands about their worth.
What made
the difference? In a word…forgiveness! The difference between a lying, self-serving
failure and a trusted friend/co-laborer with the king is the mercy that extends
forgiveness for everything. It’s true!
Peter was
among those who, by his actions, rejected Christ. While the carpenter from Galilee was being
falsely accused and sentenced to death on the cross, Peter was nearby, denying
that he’d ever met Jesus. He denied him
three times!
But Jesus
restored Peter by forgiving him. Instead
of miserable, failure, wicked, selfish coward…Peter’s natural attributes, the
Son of God, resurrected Lord called Peter holy, royal, a special possession, God’s very own; quite
a difference! And that difference is
forgiveness because God is merciful…God is always willing to forgive when we
turn to Him. It’s true!
And what’s
more…like Peter…God places us in a position to share that good news with
others. It’s true! Peter understood from the very depths of his being
what it was like to pass from death (not being worth anything) to life (being
accepted by God and valued like a royal child in a palace). It happened because of mercy, the forgiving
mercy of God.
Many years
ago with a young family, a mortgage, and too much month left over at the end of
the money, I had a debt that was bigger than I could hope to conquer. Credit cards were maxed-out and we owed more
than a half-year’s salary. Our debt was
growing bigger by the month and we were sinking. Then a loved one offered to pay our debt…and suddenly
we were free! Everything changed; the
pressure was gone and life turned sweeter.
And that
was only money.
Think about
the impact of having every sin forgiven:
·
Every
evil thought
·
Every
harsh word
·
Every
stolen moment or trust broken
·
Every
failure….all forgiven.
You turn to
Christ; give him your honest confession…all your sins…and He gives you…HIM on a
cross. He pays your debt, cancels your
penalty and breathes life into your soul.
And when
that happens he gives you the common sense to share that good news with
everyone you meet!
For You Today
You chew on
that as you hit the Rocky Road…have a blessed day!
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