Just because the world says, “I don’t think so,” doesn’t mean you should.
Have you ever lost an opportunity by passing over someone on the playground only to find them surprisingly strong players?
What about games like Trivial Pursuit or Pictionary, Scrabble or Charades? Any surprise stars that rocked your world? Well, this type of thing doesn’t just happen in your living room. According to the NFL.com Tom Brady was draft choice number 199 in the 6th round after his college football struggles at the University of Michigan. Most were surprised by what he became. Or take Steve Wosniak who tells of begging Hewlett-Packard five times to make the first Apple computer only to find their executives staunch in the stance that personal computers were for the hobbyist not the human race.
The was once a fellow named Peter who walked with Christ. In his first letter to a scattered audience he wrote the following description of Christ:
“4 …a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious.” (I Peter 2:4; ESV)
“5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For it stands in Scripture: “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.” 7 So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,” 8 and “A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense. “They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do. 9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” (I Peter 2:5-9; ESV)
The operative word for this passage is the word: believe. You can sort of cast your allegiance with the New England Patriots or put an Apple sticker on your car. The far deeper allegiance you are offered, though, is an allegiance with God himself.
A couple thousand years ago God planted himself on earth as the man Jesus. He was rejected by men, but became the foundation for an eternal community. See the parallels there with Brady and Wozniak? Rejected, passed over, but in the end storied men. You can do as Peter urged and believe. Then you join the melting pot of faith where people from all geographic regions, cultural backgrounds, socioeconomic classes, genders, etc. have been and are being built on that cornerstone which was rejected by men but chosen and precious to God. You can join that group of people who are his very own. You may not be able to change teams on the playground or with Pictionary, but with Christ you can. In fact with Christ you are invited and should.
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