1 Peter 2:4-5 Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you ...are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood...
God is shaping us individually through the trials and challenges of living for Him. Every time we choose to please Him in preference to ourselves, He takes His bag of tools and works us so that we will ultimately fit perfectly into His spiritual house. (It is fitting that Jesus trained as a builder in Heaven and with His earthly father). We are called to difficult, challenging, rewarding and effective work so that the Master Builder, having pulled us from the earth as raw minerals would complete His work in us and through us. Here is a list of proper attitudes and actions that Peter (the rock, himself) provided:
from verses 11-20:
- Abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul.
- Live such good lives among the pagans that ... they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day He visits us.
- Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil;
- Live as servants of God.
- Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every authority instituted among men
- Show proper respect to everyone:
- Love the brotherhood of believers,
- Fear God,
- Honor the King
- Suffer for doing good and endure it.
You might say that we are rocks on a mission...to live in a refreshingly different way than other in the world...that others might also be called from the world and join us in the holy, Heavenly wall of precious stones.
blessings,
Rob Smith
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