Morning Musings with the boys at breakfast...
'Cornerstone.' What images and connotations does that word bring to mind? Something strong, stable, steady, reliable and precise? The first? The most important?
Having Googled a dictionary meaning I combine from three (Google, Merriam-Webster and Dictionary.com) to give us an all rounded definition. It goes something like this: "A stone that forms the base of a corner of a monumental building as the starting place of construction. It is usually laid with a formal ceremony." A part 2 definition that can be applied to things other than buildings is that its an "important quality or feature on which a particular thing depends or is based." In eastern architectural culture it was a sacred stone.
This cornerstone is very important to the entire structure of what is being built. It is by this cornerstone "that all the other stones will be set--determining their positions" overall.*1
"The cornerstone (or foundation stone) concept is derived from the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation, important since all other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure......The rite of laying a cornerstone is an important cultural component of eastern architecture and metaphorically in sacred architecture generally. There are six references to cornerstones in both the Old and New Testaments.
Some cornerstones include time capsules from, or engravings commemorating, the time a particular building was built."*2
What impact do you get then from what Peter has to say here in 1 Peter 2:4-12 about Jesus being the chief cornerstone?! Jesus is our chosen and precious cornerstone He is using in building His spiritual house. Jesus is indeed precious and sacred to us, His family. We see Him who is our Cornerstone as: "chosen by God"; "chosen and precious" and by someone of whom "we won't be ashamed".
When God builds, He uses the best, and what, or Whom rather, is best but His own dear son Jesus. Jesus the Righteous, Pure and Holy One. This spiritual building indeed depends on His important "quality and feature".
We, God's children, then need to live up to that measure. God uses us too in His building. How gracious of Him. We are His "living stones". We are "alive" in Christ. 'Alive and active'...this is NOT a dead building. Because we are 'alive and active; we need to align ourselves up to the Cornerstone and His character, will and ways.
How are we, God's building stones, described? We are a "holy priesthood". That reminds us we are to "be holy as God is holy" and as Jesus is pure and righteous. Jesus is our High Priest (http://euniqueegirl.blogspot.my/2016/06/superior-ministry-part-2.html) and so we too are in the priesthood doing ministry for Him; telling others about the message of Jesus.
We are a "holy nation" who "belong to God" and also termed "people of God". We are to "live such good lives" that even those who wish to find fault with us, cannot but are rather compelled to glorify God because of us.
As living and active stones we are to sing and declare God's praises and to offer spiritual sacrifices of our lives to God (Romans 12:1). A large part of that is to "abstain from sinful desires" and to live as "aliens and strangers in this world"; the sanctified life.
Due to all this 'holiness' that comes from Jesus and His spiritual house, the 'non-house' unbelievers who reject the Cornerstone will stumble and fall and live in darkness. This is truly sad as they are not part of this spiritual house that God is building in tandem with those of us who do believe.
Pray for those of your relatives, friends, colleagues who as yet have not "seen the Light" of God. Pray that they too will become "living stones" in God's spiritual house. In the meantime, live exemplary lives based on Jesus our Chief Cornerstone on whom the entire spiritual house depends.
*1 Wikipedia
*2 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornerstone
~ERC 2016~
No comments:
Post a Comment