Cornerstone

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

My granddaughter Stella loves to play with blocks. We work together to build tall houses and towers. Sometimes we don’t have the blocks lined up properly on the base and they crumble. So we start over and try to set a firm foundation before we add the blocks on top of each other.

Some of us are like the blocks. When we don’t get properly lined up with the base, our faith in Christ, we begin to crumble.

Stella also loves playing with Legos. When we build a house with Legos, we are careful to fit the pieces together perfectly. We want them to connect evenly and create snug fit. When we line up the Lego pieces carefully attaching one to another, we can really build a very steady house.

Some of us are like that with Christ. We have a snug fit. We align ourselves really well to the first piece, the base piece, the cornerstone.

What is the role of a cornerstone for a building?

The cornerstone, the foundation stone, is the first stone set in the construction of a foundation. This is important since all other stones will be set in reference to this stone. This stone determines the position of the entire structure.  If the cornerstone is defective in anyway, if the line is off by a tiny angle, the whole building will be wrong.

Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. Ephesians 2:20 & 21

What does this mean to us if Christ is the cornerstone? EVERYTHING flows from the cornerstone. He is the beginning. He is our reference point. He determines our position.  Verse 21 says we are carefully joined together in him. We are fitted together with him and we form a holy temple as we fit together with Christ.

Paul wanted to encourage the church at Ephesus to be one in Christ and to look to him as their foundation, their leader. There were issues, factions, and differences among the members in the Early Church that could tear them apart. Paul is reminding them to come together at the cornerstone. When we are fit together with the cornerstone, we turn to God with our issues and our differences.

Where is your fit to the cornerstone? When we are snug against the cornerstone, our thoughts become his thoughts, our emotions become his emotions, our words become his words, and our actions become his actions. We live in our strengths and in our purpose. We seek to be like him. We become one with Christ.

The more disconnected we are to the cornerstone, the more our world is wobbly. When we aren’t snugged up to the cornerstone, we have a harder time living in our strengths.

Remember the story Jesus told about the wise man building his house upon the rock.  It endured the storms of life.  What happened to the foolish man who built on a foundation of sand?  His house crumbled.

Our goal is to attach ourselves firmly to the cornerstone so that we can endure the storms of life.

Hillsong Church song “Cornerstone” reminds us that Christ alone is our cornerstone and we are made strong in his love.

Christ alone
Christ alone; cornerstone
Weak made strong; in the Saviour's love
Through the storm, He is Lord
Lord of all

Let’s fit snuggly to the cornerstone and get strong in Him!