Pretty Rocks

Daily Reading: 1 Peter 2

Scripture Focus: A living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious... (1 Peter 2.4)

Devotional Thought: Not long ago when my grandchildren were visiting, we walked down to "the creek," and they enjoyed picking up some rocks and showing them to me. Do you remember picking up pretty rocks as a child? Some rocks are as common as gravel. Others are as rare as diamonds. Some are of little value. Others are of great value. But, none of them would be described as alive! What could be deader than a stone? To be stone-dead is to be "undeniably dead... lifeless..." (Webster's College Dictionary).

Stones are dead; yet Peter chooses that very metaphor to describe Jesus. But, Jesus isn't just any stone, he is a "living stone!"

As a stone, Jesus is the sure and solid foundation for our salvation. He is immovable, strong, and certain. We can come to him with confidence. But, Jesus is not rigid, unbending, and uncaring. Jesus is living. He is a stone with a heartbeat; he is strength with compassion.

This Stone was rejected by men. So great was the rejection of Jesus, he was tossed aside as worthless by the power players of Rome and Jerusalem. But our Jesus was not forgotten by God. On Easter morning, the Father rolled away the stone of death to release the Stone of Life!

When we come to Jesus, God takes the death out of our stony hearts and makes us alive in Christ. We ourselves become living stones! Then, we are placed side by side with others who have also been made alive in Christ. As Jesus walks with the Father, he stoops down and picks us up and marvels before God at how beautiful, how special, how precious we are.

Thanks be to God!

Prayer: Lord Jesus, you are the Living Stone. Breathe your life and your strength into me, I pray. Help me to live daily, victoriously, joyfully in you. Amen.

Psalm of the Day: 1 Deliver me from my enemies, O my God; protect me from those who rise up against me; 2 deliver me from those who work evil, and save me from bloodthirsty men. 3 For behold, they lie in wait for my life; fierce men stir up strife against me. For no transgression or sin of mine, O LORD, 4 for no fault of mine, they run and make ready. Awake, come to meet me, and see! 5 You, LORD God of hosts, are God of Israel. Rouse yourself to punish all the nations; spare none of those who treacherously plot evil. Selah 6 Each evening they come back, howling like dogs and prowling about the city. 7 There they are, bellowing with their mouths with swords in their lips-- for "Who," they think,"will hear us?" 8 But you, O LORD, laugh at them; you hold all the nations in derision. 9 O my Strength, I will watch for you, for you, O God, are my fortress. (Psalms 59:1-9)