READ
42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:
‘The very stone which the builders rejected
•has become the cornerstone;
this was the Lord’s doing,
and it is marvelous in our eyes’?
43 Therefore I tell you•, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a nation producing the fruits of it. 44 And he who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; but when it falls on any one, it will crush him.”
45 •When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived that he was speaking about them. 46 But when they tried to arrest him, they feared the multitudes, because they held him to be a prophet. (Matthew 21:42–46, RSV2CE)
REFLECT
The Stone is Jesus. He is the cornerstone of the new temple of worship made of the new humanity of grace instead of a building. This is being done by the Lord.
The Kingdom of God will be taken away from those who are giving lip service and trying to earn their way into heaven by works but not giving their heart to change.
When you fall on this cornerstone of Jesus you will be broken. Your old self has to die to the world. The new self has to be remade with eternal thoughts and desires not earthly thoughts and desires. If anyone decides they will not fall on Him He will crush them. Either way you will give an account to Him. Either you let yourself be broken or he crushes.
Though the chief priests knew he was telling them to change they refused. And they didn’t do anything to him at first fearing the people. Instead of fearing God, they feared the world and made the wrong choice. They wanted worldly power instead of God.
PRAY
Jesus, I want to be part of the new temple. I want to be a house of worship. Please make your home in me.
The kingdom is not by works. The kingdom is a heart change and fruit of the Spirit. I can do a bunch of works and look like a good Christian. But if my heart is full of anger and bitterness and control I am living for self not God.
I must be willing to let God have my heart and be broken off from worldly thought and desires. He wants to remake me back into the image and likeness of God. When we fell we lost the likeness, we still are in his image. He came to give us back the likeness. But we have to cooperate. All man will give an account. I can either fall and be broken or when he comes back I will be crushed.
Jesus tells us the truth. If we rebel we will not listen and explain away in our own minds another story and give the world power over us instead of the freeing power of God to be who we were actually made to be.
REST
Jesus, I believe you. I want to be remade. I want to be a holy temple of worship. I want to be a vessel of the fruit of the spirit not just works with a dirty heart. Please my God remake me. Break me gently and walk me into new life. Thank you for this amazing gift you offer. I love you. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment