Get Real November 9 Devotional
November 09, 2024
1 PETER 2:7-8 | 7 This honor, then, is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the very head of the corner,” 8 and “A stone that makes them stumble and a rock that makes them fall.” They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.
MATTHEW 21:42-44 | 42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the scriptures: ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is amazing in our eyes’? 43 “Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces its fruits. 44 The one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, and it will crush anyone on whom it falls.”
An authentic Christian community engages with people wherever they are and are eager to encounter those whose beliefs are off base, vague, or non-existent. Jesus came to seek and save those lost in confusion and darkness, the sheep who had wandered from the flock. But equally, an authentic church knows there is just one rock, one foundation, one Lord, on earth, one baptism. Those unwilling to accept the living Lordship of Jesus stumble over the truth of His Resurrection and reign, just like many of His Jewish opponents did. Minimizing the importance of Jesus, or relegating His grace and rule, His commands and authority, to a secondary or optional position marks an inauthentic Christian community.
Does this seem limiting of freeing for you?
Gracious God,
Show us how to be open to those who work in confusion. Show us how to be Christ centered in all our thoughts and ministry.
Amen.
