1 Peter 2:1‐10

Read 1 Peter 2:1‐10 slowly and prayerfully. What words or phrases stand out for you?



Rid yourselves, therefore, of all malice, and all guile, insincerity, envy, and all slander. 2Like newborn infants, long for the pure, spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow into salvation—3if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.  4Come to him, a living stone, though rejected by mortals yet chosen and precious in God’s sight, and 5like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6For it stands in scripture:  'See, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.’ 
7To you then who believe, he is precious; but for those who do not believe, ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the very head of the corner’, 8and ‘A stone that makes them stumble, and a rock that makes them fall.’ They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.  9But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.  10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.


Reflect
What do you need to rid yourself of so that you can grow into your salvation?


What would change if each member of your faith community were viewed as “living stones built into a spiritual house”?


What does it mean that you are a holy (or royal) priesthood?


Respond
As a holy priesthood, spend several moments today interceding for the world.


Pray that God would shine brightly in the world through God’s holy priesthood and that more living stones would be added to spiritual houses.