So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation—if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.
As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it stands in Scripture:
“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone,
a cornerstone chosen and precious,
and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”
So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe,
“The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone,”
and
“A stone of stumbling,
and a rock of offense.”
They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do. (1 Peter 2:1-8, ESV)
I was so blessed by this passage that someone shared on Sunday morning. It was like I had never even heard these words before, though I can say I have heard them several if not many times. The idea of Christ being a rock is not foreign to me. It is something often talked about in churches. The problem is that I always saw the rock as a large stone, granite perhaps. It was nothing special, nothing precious, but this passage clearly states that the Lord is a precious stone.
So I sat there listening to this passage and it was as if the words were jumping off the pages. The Lord is a chosen and precious stone to those who believe in Him. Precious stones are very valuable and rare. They are considered treasure and are sought after. So therefore the Lord is our treasure. He is the most valuable precious stone. That is something to lay a foundation on! It just reminds me of how great our inheritance is in the Lord. He is the only reason we are able to have an inheritance from God.
Now take a look at what He is to those who reject Him, a stone of stumbling, a rock of offense. So to those who do not believe, it is as if they are building and a huge rock is in the way. It is something they must remove in order to continue building. It takes work, money, and time to remove. The job would be strenuous and tedious. The rock is of no value.
Who is the Lord to you? Is He your greatest treasure and a wonderful foundation that you are building on, or is He a giant stone in the way of what you want to do in life? Is He someone you build on, or someone who you are trying to rid your life of? I am so thankful that the Lord is my precious stone! What a wonderful Savior!
