Verse: 1 Peter 2:7-8
7 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,” 8 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.

Series:  1 Peter

Devotion
The analogy that Peter uses here isn’t one we are very familiar with in our times, but it’s an important one. He is referring to Jesus as the “cornerstone.” This is the stone the builders would set first, and then build two walls off of it. In Matthew 21:42, Jesus referred to himself as the “chief cornerstone.”

The cornerstone is the starting point for the building. It is the stone that everything else is based off of. It determines how the building will be built.

I want to apply this to our lives personally. Is Jesus the “chief cornerstone” of your life? Is he the thing upon which everything else relies? Is he what determines how the rest of your life is built? In other words, is he the cornerstone, or just another rock in a random wall in your house?

If he is the chief cornerstone, then he determines how we treat other people. If he isn’t, then we treat people however it’s convenient for us. If he’s the cornerstone then he influences what we post on social media. If he isn’t, then we post whatever we want.

So is he the cornerstone in your life? Is your life built around him? Do you look to him to give you guidance on friendships, sex, parenting, finances, social media, what you watch, what you read, how you act, how you talk? Do you look to him to inspire you to care for the poor, share your faith, pray for others, and give generously? Have you given him you past, your present, and your future?

I know that’s a lot. And I’m not trying to be dramatic, or judgmental. But it’s one of those verses that asks a lot of us. See, he’s either the cornerstone, or the idea of him being the cornerstone will make us stumble. The idea of him being that influential in our lives will grate against our sense of autonomy. In the end though, if we allow him to be our cornerstone, we will find that he is indeed “precious” and that the life he offers far surpasses any life we could build with ourselves as the cornerstone instead.

Prayer
Help me to put you first at all times and in all ways.

Author: Christian Dunn