#DailyDevotion Jesus Is The Rock, The Living Stone Upon Which We Live
1 Peter 22and like newborn babies, thirst for the pure milk of the Word so that you’ll grow and finally be saved. 3Surely you have tasted that the Lord is good. 4Come to Him. He is the living Stone Whom men rejected but God selected as precious. 5You also are being built as living stones into a spiritual temple, to be holy priests who bring spiritual sacrifices that God gladly accepts through Jesus Christ.
On the one hand the author of Hebrews chastises Christians because they can only take milk and cannot consume heartier, meatier Christian doctrine. He Peter encourages his readers to thirst for the pure milk of the Word so they’ll grow and finally be saved. Both are probably in order for the Christian. Perhaps they are talking about different things.
But taking Peter’s advice here, let us never think we ever eschew the pure, spiritual milk. What are such things? What we learn of in the catechism, the Ten Commandments, the Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, Baptism, Confession & Absolution and the Lord’s Supper. With such things we always busy ourselves with for they lay the foundation for anything else we may learn from the Word of God. Indeed, if we have not mastered them how can we even begin to build further? Martin Luther was fond of saying he was forever a student of the catechism. He would also say we could be busy our whole live just trying to master one commandment. The Lord then expects us to continue to grow in the faith. We should not aim to be just ‘simple Christians’ though maybe some may never grow that much we are not told to remain infants. Even Peter here expects growth and eventually we receive salvation. Now salvation isn’t earned or merited by growing. But if we are not progressing in the faith we very well may be regressing in the faith to the point we have no faith at all. Which is probably while he encourages thirsting for the pure milk of the Word. Such a desire does not stand still and it does not regress. We will grow.
Peter then encourages us to come to the LORD Jesus Christ. He is the living Stone whom men rejected but God selected as precious. Jesus is the Rock that followed the Israelites in the wilderness which Moses struck and gave them water. He is the rock that comes from heaven in Daniel and smashes the idol of Babylon. He is the Rock and Foundation stone for the Kingdom of God and the Temple of God. He is the Rock upon which all of our spiritual sacrifices are offered. Moses says of him, 4“The Rock! What He does is perfect; yes, all His ways are right. A faithful God, without any wrong, just and righteous is He.” David says of him, 2 Sam. 222“The LORD, my Rock and my Fortress, is the One Who rescued me. 3I found shelter in God Who is my Rock, my Shield, the mighty One Who saved me; my mountain Retreat, my Refuge, my Savior Who delivered me from violence.” Jesus has now given you life and made you living stones which make us his holy temple. As living stones you are also priest called to make spiritual sacrifices. These sacrifices are all the good we do through faith in Christ Jesus which is what makes them acceptable to God. These are sacrifices of thanksgiving and praise to Christ our LORD who sacrificed himself for us. Now we sacrifice ourselves for our fellow Christians, seeking how we may serve them.
Heavenly Father, you sent your Rock, our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ into the world to save men and make them into your temple. Grant us thirst for your Word that we may grow into your temple offering the spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable in Christ Jesus. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.