Verse of the day: 1 Peter 2:5 you also, as living stones, are being built up a
spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable
to God through Jesus Christ.
The Apostle Peter refers to us who are born again, and
children of God, as living stones. In other words, alive and breathing, not
dead; active, blessed, to be in full vigor. This would be significant for the
reader of that time, as the temple in Jerusalem was an important place of
worship. The temple would soon be destroyed, and this was a reminder that we
can worship God wherever we were, as His followers. This is what Jesus told the woman at the well;
that there would come a time when worshipers would worship God in spirit and
truth (Jn 4:21-23). That, in and of itself, is a blessing, as we can worship
God wherever we find ourselves, every hour of the day, every day. What Peter is
telling us here is confirmed by the Apostle Paul who tells us in 1 Corinthians
6:19-20 that our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, and we belong to God
because we have been bought by the price that Jesus paid on our behalf. Jesus
is the Cornerstone of our temple. Interestingly, the cornerstone is the first
stone set by which all the other stones are then set in reference to. This then
sets the position of all the other stones. The cornerstones of many buildings
now have been inscribed with the date the cornerstone was set, who the
architect and builder were. Jesus is the Cornerstone of our faith, the Author
and Finisher (Eph 2:19-22; Heb 12:2; 1 Pt 2:7), and He is the One by whom we
are set in God’s family as God’s children. It is because of our Cornerstone
that we have been made a spiritual house and a holy priesthood; He has made us
kings and priests (Rev 1:6). As a priesthood of believers, our duty is to bring
our sacrificial, spiritual, offering to God, which is only acceptable when
brought to Him in Christ. What is this spiritual offering that we are to bring
to God? First, it is the sacrifice of our life. We are to lay down our lives on
the altar as living sacrifices (Rm 12:1); dead to sin and the world, but alive
to live for, and serve, God. We are to bring our sacrifice of praise to God,
continually, which is the fruit of our lips, giving Him thanks, and being
thankful in all things (Heb 13:15; Eph 5:20). This might sound like it is an
easy thing to do, but the Apostle Peter, in chapter 1, reminds us that we will
suffer here for a little while in comparison to what lies ahead for the
believer (our heavenly inheritance). Our suffering is described as being more
precious than gold. Why? It is through our response to, and how we deal with,
suffering that will gain us treasures in Heaven that are far more precious than
gold. This is really where we have our work cut out for us as a priesthood of
believers. The world, and the unsaved person can give thanks, be happy, and
live joyfully when all is going well. It is when the bottom falls out of life
that we find out what a person is really made of, and what lies deep within
them. This is where we, as priests, must step up and bring our sacrificial
offering to God. The mindset of many Christians today is that worship only
takes place in the building when we gather to sing praise and hear the Word of
God preached. However, worship is how we live for God. Worship is living an
obedient life in accordance to God’s Word. It is living by God’s truths even
when it brings persecution and troubles with the world, when it opposes us. It
is during those times of difficulty that we are to bring our praise to God. It
is those times when we are to give Him thanks. It is those times when we put
our selfishness aside, our own desires, and sacrifice whatever God asks of us to
in our service to Him, and those He leads us to, to share God’s blessings with.
The bottom line is that only in Christ are we priests, and it is only in Christ
that we can truly offer up the sacrificial offering that is acceptable to our
Heavenly Father.
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