A Rock of Stumbling
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Isaiah 8:11-15
11. For the Lord spoke thus to me with his strong hand upon me, and warned me not to walk in the way of this people, saying: 12. "Do not call conspiracy all that this people call conspiracy, and do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread. 13. But the Lord of hosts, him you shall regard as holy; let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. 14. And he will become a sanctuary, and a stone of offense, and a rock of stumbling to both houses of Israel, a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 15. And many shall stumble thereon; they shall fall and be broken; they shall be snared and taken."
Psalm 118:19-22
19. Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter through them and give thanks to the Lord. 20. This is the gate of the Lord; the righteous shall enter through it. 21. I thank thee that thou hast answered me and hast become my salvation. 22. The stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner.
To “make it” in this life, we must carefully, prayerfully discern where our loyalties lie; where the source of our greatest good will be; what the sustaining power of our lives will be. Sooner or later, we figure it out, or not -- and if we don’t, then sadly we will die without the certain promise of eternal life in heaven. It seems almost unfair somehow, but when you really think about it, God does all the work -- always has -- and freely offers us the reward. Knowing the alternative, how can we make any choice, but to place our lives in the hands of God?!
We are not to conform ourselves to the ways of this world. We are not to adhere to the same value system the world follows. We are not to use the same criteria upon which the world determines worth and success. It’s not easy to go against the grain. It’s not a lot of fun being the different one. Sometimes it becomes almost unbearable to be “the stone which the builders rejected.” The power brokers of this world will tell you that you must be like everybody else -- look like them, drive the same cars, wear the same clothes, own the same house, send your children to the same schools, worship all the “things” of this world.
At some point, though, we realize that what the world has to offer doesn’t last. All the things we have, all the possessions which define to the world who we are don’t sustain us in difficult times. They don’t provide a firm foundation upon which to base our lives, because jobs can be lost, homes can be burned down, or blown away by the wind, a car can be crashed, and money & fame -- well have you observed the ruined lives of some of the “famous” American icons lately?
Eventually it hits us that Jesus must be the “capstone” the “cornerstone” of our lives. The capstone in an arch is the one that prevents the arch from crumbling. The cornerstone in a wall is used to anchor and align the rest of the wall. Jesus is that leveler in our lives. When we accept and embrace that He is our salvation, we do reject what the world puts forth as worthy. When we believe and desire the Word of God, we do not accept what the world says is true, and real, and important. Jesus is the way. He is our truth. We accept his offer, not out of fear, but rather out of gratitude!
Without a cornerstone to anchor and align our lives, we are swallowed up by the world; tossed about by the winds of change; and forever stumble over our own sin.
I hope today you make Christ your capstone. And that everything you do is guided by Jesus’ word of life.
Mary
