May 23 – Truly Only One, None Other

“He is the stone which was rejected by you, the builders, but which became the chief corner stone.  And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”  - Acts 11-12 (NASB)

Peter was on trial before the same court that had condemned Jesus.  He is bold and unafraid because he knew the promise God had given for salvation and eternal life.  We have another kind of promise in our verse today.  It’s the promise that the very person who was rejected by the leaders of Israel as their Messiah and was put to death by them, was the chief cornerstone of a new spiritual "building", His Church.  We have become a part of that new building through Jesus. Jesus Christ is the only name under heaven that gives eternal life to all who believe.  There were many other names that the people hoped would be their Messiah. Today, many others lay claim to be the one way.  But their way is to a god that is a false god that demands much work from their followers.  We can rejoice, if we have believed in the name of Jesus, because we have been adopted by the only true God.  Our God is the only one who can save and the only one who has done everything necessary for our salvation. It is ours by faith when we believe in God. 

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October 29 – A True Starting Point

“For in Scripture it says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.”  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,”” 1  Peter 2:6-7 (NIV)

In the first letter he wrote to believers scattered everywhere, the Apostle Peter quotes from a prophecy by Isaiah. Peter correctly interprets for us that the words in Isaiah were a prediction of the coming of Jesus Christ to lay the foundation for our faith.  To those who choose to believe the message is precious.  Not so for those who reject the message.  Isaiah predicted that Jesus would be a precious cornerstone and Peter points out that believers find Jesus to be precious.  Those who do not believe stumble over Him. Something precious is something of great value to us.  A cornerstone in a building was the starting point for a foundation and kept it true and straight.  Jesus is our starting point, the basis of our faith, and that is very valuable for us, something we hold precious and our response is real love for Jesus.  He is the One who promises to keep us true if we trust and obey Him.

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Importance and value of Cornerstones

June 13 – Solid, Sure, and Precious

“For in Scripture it says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” Now to you who believe, this stone is precious.” 1 Peter 2:6-7a (NIV)

There are many prophesies in the Old Testament predicting the coming of Jesus, the Messiah. Our verse today is a quote by the apostle Peter from such a prediction in the book of Isaiah. In the New Testament we have this and other reminders of how the prophecies were fulfilled in Jesus when He lived on the earth. The prediction that Isaiah wrote and that Peter quoted was that Jesus the Messiah would be a precious cornerstone and it reminds us that this is true for us who believe.  Jesus is the foundation of our faith. As we trust Him He does become precious to us. When we face uncertainty we can trust the promise that He is our cornerstone and we really wouldn't want to try to live without Him in our lives. Today, whatever is ahead of us and whatever challenges we are facing, whatever news might cause us to despair remember and think that what we believe is built upon this cornerstone – the Truth of Jesus our Savior.

June 13

“See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” Now to you who believe, this stone is precious.” 1 Peter 2:6-7a (NIV)

Jesus Christ is the cornerstone predicted in the Old Testament. If you have believed in Him as your Savior, He is the cornerstone of your faith – the basis of your eternal life. So what does Jesus mean to you? Isn’t He precious to you? Could you get along without Him? We are reading these verses today because we believe you will agree with Peter that Jesus is very precious to you and that you love Him more than anything else. So keep this truth before you today, "the one who trusts in Him will never be put to shame."