MONDAY, AUGUST 20
Scripture: 1 Peter 2:1-5

1 Peter 2:1-5 says, “Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious. Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” Peter exhorts us, ‘Look, you have to come to the Lord as a Living Stone.’ Just as Christ was rejected by men but chosen by God and very precious to Him, so are we. Here is Sonship Gift #1 – chosen! We must think like Christ! Christ was chosen and look what He had to suffer. We must believe and acknowledge that we are indeed chosen. The very fact that we have to endure warfare is proof we were chosen by God for His purpose. Verse 5 says, “…we also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” We are being built into the full representative of Christ in the earth. Fullness is a cohesive theme throughout every chapter of Ephesians. Fullness of Christ, fullness of Christ, fullness of Christ! Every chapter! And here in 1 Peter 2 we see that we are being built relationally as He was. In order to have the faith in our core to walk such a call, we have to build relationally just like the early church built their relationship based on accepting the good gifts Jesus provided. When we accept the Sonship Gifts, it releases faith. Walking in holiness releases faith to represent God! It is defined as the quality that makes it possible to fellowship with God. That is holiness and it is blood bought! It is ours and we are exhorted to walk in it and develop it. Let’s stand up in the full measure of Christ!