The Stone

4-8 Welcome to the living Stone, the source of life. The workmen took one look and threw it out; God set it in the place of honor. Present yourselves as building stones for the construction of a sanctuary vibrant with life, in which you’ll serve as holy priests offering Christ-approved lives up to God. The Scriptures provide precedent:

Look! I’m setting a stone in Zion,
    a cornerstone in the place of honor.
Whoever trusts in this stone as a foundation
    will never have cause to regret it.

To you who trust him, he’s a Stone to be proud of, but to those who refuse to trust him,

The stone the workmen threw out
    is now the chief foundation stone.

For the untrusting it’s

. . . a stone to trip over,
    a boulder blocking the way.

They trip and fall because they refuse to obey, just as predicted.

9-10 But you are the ones chosen by God, chosen for the high calling of priestly work, chosen to be a holy people, God’s instruments to do his work and speak out for him, to tell others of the night-and-day difference he made for you—from nothing to something, from rejected to accepted.

* * *

Read full chapter

Bible Gateway Recommends

The Message, Large Print, Brown Trio Leather-Look
The Message, Large Print, Brown Trio Leather-Look
Retail: $64.99
Our Price: $41.79
Save: $23.20 (36%)
5.0 of 5.0 stars
Message Slimline Bible--soft leather-look, brown
Message Slimline Bible--soft leather-look, brown
Retail: $39.99
Our Price: $30.09
Save: $9.90 (25%)
3.5 of 5.0 stars
The Message The Book of Psalms - eBook
The Message The Book of Psalms - eBook
Retail: $8.99
Our Price: $7.19
Save: $1.80 (20%)
The Message Bible--soft leather-look, sky blue
The Message Bible--soft leather-look, sky blue
Retail: $49.99
Our Price: $49.98
Save: $0.01 (0%)
4.5 of 5.0 stars