Verse: 1 Peter 2:4-5 (AMP)

4 Come to Him [the risen Lord] as to a living Stone which men rejected and threw away, but which is choice and precious in the sight of God. 5 You [believers], like living stones, are being built up into a spiritual house for a holy and dedicated priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices [that are] acceptable and pleasing to God through Jesus Christ.

Devotion
If you are like me, to read this verse at face value can be difficult to understand. To break it down for comprehension, I liked the Amplified version. In verse 4, Jesus is referenced as a living Stone (capital S) which was an Old Testament phrase from a prophecy in Isaiah 28:16. Peter saying Jesus was a “living Stone rejected by men” is referencing Psalm 118:22, “The Stone which the builders rejected has become the chief Cornerstone.” Men rejected Him but He was chosen and precious to the Lord and God exalted Him as the Head Stone. From His birth, to His death and ascension back to heaven, Jesus was rejected by humanity countless times. This did not change who He is or how valued He is by the Heavenly Father.

When we do come to Him in obedience, we also are being shaped into living stones for use in spiritual building. Our time spent with the Living Stone makes us alive and sharpened, and fits us for our place in his architectural plan. Christ is the builder and He is looking for those who are willing to mold themselves into the likeness of Himself, and who are willing to make a space for the Holy Spirit to dwell. “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and the Spirit of God dwells in you?” (1 Cor 3:16) Unlike the Old Testament priesthood, in which only those who were born to a certain tribe could be priests, all who have chosen Jesus and in whose heart He dwells are considered a part of the royal priesthood. I know, I know, the term “priest” seems extreme and perhaps not appropriate to what you feel your role is; but bear with me because this is a spiritual term referencing all of those who follow the Lord. We no longer have to make temples as buildings in order for God’s presence to be close. We don’t have to make altars for sacrifice or offerings. Our offering to the Lord is a life laid down. Our choice to love Him is accompanied by us serving Him, sacrificing our time, and giving Him our affection because He is endlessly worthy.

The first commitment to the Lord that we make is when we accept Him as Lord of our life and invite Him in to change our hearts. To stop there, however would be to miss the life of communion with Jesus. When we read the scripture and get to know the man of Jesus, we become living stones. That’s how He shapes us to be the pieces he needs for the kingdom and we all have a specific part. To be a spiritual temple for God’s presence, and to be a holy priesthood offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God, we must day-by-day, hour-by-hour come to Christ. We must taste his kindness by feeding on his Word (1 Peter 2:1-3)—his promises, his commands, his teachings, his warnings—until we are so filled with Him that He dwells in and among us.This is an invitation for all of us and it should cause us to want Jesus even more. He is the only way to God and eternal life. He is the only way to become a dwelling place for God. Jesus is infinitely precious.

There are so many people who know there is a God because nature declares His glory, and in their conscience they know it must be so. The sad part is that without Jesus, they don’t know how to live a life pleasing and acceptable to the Lord. Religious acts such as rituals, disciplines, vows, sacrifices and relics are all tried in vain because God says (at the end of verse 5) the sacrifices that are acceptable to him are acceptable “through Jesus Christ.” Not through human effort or human merit or human achievement, but “through Jesus Christ.”The preciousness of Christ to our hearts is this: through him we know and come to God to experience His presence and offer acceptable sacrifices to Him. Without Jesus all is distance and darkness. Christ is so very precious.

Prayer
Holy God, we thank you for giving humanity the Living Stone who was rejected and crucified for us because you thought us to be worth the sacrifice. We praise you Jesus, the risen and living King! I ask that we would all move past religion and into communion with you to know you deeper. Let us spend enough time in your presence, that we begin to take on your likeness. Find us faithful to be living stones acceptable for your architecture–a temple where the Holy Spirit can abide. You are worthy and so infinitely precious. We love you.
Amen.