God’s Mission
Matthew 21:42-43
Have you never read in the Scriptures, “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes”? Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.
~ Jesus
Tuesday of Holy Week for Jesus included, beside teaching things,
- Dealing with enemies trying to trap Him with questions, and
- A series of parables that indicted those Jewish leadership.
Once those exchanges occurred, Jesus let them know He was the Cornerstone of all God's work. They heard Him, disagreed with Him, and stepped up their efforts to arrest Him without riling up a crowd of sympathizers.
Prayer
Jesus, many people (including church and political leaders of Your day) rejected You as Messiah, but like the Apostle Peter, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God (Matthew 16:16) and I know that I have life in Your name (John 20:31).
I also know that You taught people to “render to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God’s.”
Recognizing Your ownership of my life, I “render” myself to You. Be the Cornerstone of my life as You are the church. I pray this in Your name and to the glory of our Heavenly Father. Amen.
Micro-Meditation Scripture
Psalm 51:13-19
13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
so that sinners will turn back to you.
14 Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed,
O God, you who are God my Savior
and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.
15 Open my lips, Lord,
and my mouth will declare your praise.
16 You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
17 My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, O God, will not despise.
18 May it please you to prosper Zion,
to build up the walls of Jerusalem.
19 Then you will delight in the sacrifices of the righteous, in burnt offerings offered whole;
then bulls will be offered on your altar.
Micro-Meditation
Teaching or Command of God
Matthew 7:5
You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
2 Peter 2:6
For in Scripture it says: See, I lay a stone in Zion a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.
Micro-Meditation
Pondering Point
How do you (or any follower of Jesus) avoid the hypocrisy of judging others for their sin while offering excuses for our own?
OR,
How do you avoid the hypocrisy of forgiving others for their sin while refusing to forgive yourself for failures that God has forgiven in Jesus’ name?