Living with Christ as the Foundation

When reading 1 Peter 2, I came across some verses that talk of Christ as an example. My attention was drawn to verses 4 – 9 which say ‘ You are coming to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God’s temple. He was rejected by people, but he was chosen by God for great honour. And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are his holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God. As the Scriptures say, “I am placing a cornerstone in Jerusalem, chosen for great honour, and anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.” Yes, you who trust him recognize the honour God has given him. But for those who reject him, “The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.” And, “He is the stone that makes people stumble, the rock that makes them fall.” They stumble because they do not obey God’s word, and so they meet the fate that was planned for them. But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.‘

You and I get to live with Christ as the foundation of our faith. His example goes before us to show us how to live. I am so thankful for the privilege of living after Christ came to earth! His example shows us how to live in many different ways. He taught to obey authority and pray for them. His life also taught us that sometimes suffering is necessary to fulfil God’s will. Jesus died for us because His Father in heaven wanted to save all people. The greatest gift in the history of the world came at a great price.

Now that Jesus has come, we are called to live the way He did, devoting our lives to doing good and suffering through persecution. The calling isn’t to find persecution, but to live the way God called without compromising if hardship comes. Although this calling is hard at times, it is far greater to live for God than to live for pleasure, as many people do. The troubles the world faces are many and often have no remedy. I can attest to this because before I lived as a Christian I was living for myself, only seeking pleasure. The problem was that pleasure couldn’t satisfy the desire inside me. It always wanted more. After putting my faith in God and living for Him rather than myself, I stopped pursuing pleasure and started to find purpose again. I actually overcame depression!

If you find yourself going around in circles in life, consider surrendering yourself to God and His will. When you live in His purpose, it fills you and satisfies the desire that seems to never end. In a word, you find contentment. You are content with much or little, rich or poor, free or slave. You are so free in yourself because you now belong to God.