Day 164 - Ephesians Sunday
“So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.” (Ephesians 2:19-22 ESV)
Paul is giving us a picture of the Church, built on the truths of Holy Scripture. His reference to the “foundation of the apostles and prophets,” clearly means the New and Old Testaments of the Bible. And in what direction does the entire Bible point? It points us to Jesus, “the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.”
The cornerstone of Paul’s day was not merely a symbolic container of historical documents. The weight of a building rested on the cornerstone. In fact, if you removed it, the entire building would collapse.
The same is true for Christianity. If you removed Jesus and His cross, it all collapses. The holy life, innocent death and triumphant resurrection of Jesus are at the heart of our faith. Oh how blessed is everyone whose life is built solidly on Jesus!
Christ is our cornerstone,
On Him alone we build;
With His true saints alone
The courts of heav'n are filled.
On His great love our hopes we place
Of present grace and joys above.
(Christ Is Our Cornerstone, Lutheran Service Book, CPH, 2006, #912 stanza 1)
Thank You, Heavenly Father, for making Jesus the cornerstone of Your Church.
May my life remain built solidly on Jesus so that I may always be blessed with Your love, hope, grace and joy. Amen.
Pastor Dave Paape
“See” you at the Communion table this morning!
Pastor David Paape
The following link is to the 52 Week Reading Plan Bible upon which these devotions are based. http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf
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