Daily Devotional for Monday 14th October
Living Stones
In recent years our society has increasingly become one that promotes individualism. ‘Make sure you’re OK even at the expense of others’. This of course leads to breakdown in relationships. That’s the opposite of God’s purpose, which is not just to change people through a relationship with Jesus, but to build a distinctive community shaped in the image of God.
So here Peter uses the image of a spiritual house where individual Christians are the building blocks that together form the building. We are these living blocks of stones, which are joined to one other in a community to form a spiritual house. Note how all these blocks are built on the foundation of Jesus Christ who is central to the community and in fact without Him, there would be no church. He is of pivotal importance.
Then Peter moves on to describe how we are not just living stones forming the church community, we are also chosen to be priests within that same spiritual house or temple. We don’t need a priest to be the interface between us and God, which was the way it was in old testament times because we have Jesus our great high priest who acts as our mediator.
Today Clergy and Ministers are there to help and guide us in our relationship with God and continue the building work as new stones are added to our building. We are described as a ‘royal priesthood’ v9 and have the privilege of being able to come into God’s presence. However, with that privilege also comes responsibilities. First of all we have the responsibility of being a priest and committing ourselves to fully serve God in our lives and our work. Then secondly, in the same way that the Israelites were commissioned to be a nation that drew other nations into a relationship with God Almighty, that becomes our role too.
Time to reflect…
As well as being part of a community built with living stones, we are also called to be part of a royal priesthood. What does that mean for you in your daily Christian life?
Pause to pray…
Creator God, thank you for calling out of darkness and into the light of your presence with us. Help us to live in that light and play our part in building your church with living stones as we seek to bring your gospel to those in the community we serve. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
