Words From The Word: 1 Peter 2:1-10

1 Peter 2:1-10
1Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. 2Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, 3now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. 4As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him— 5you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6For in Scripture it says:
"See, I lay a stone in Zion,
a chosen and precious cornerstone,
and the one who trusts in him
will never be put to shame."
7Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe,
"The stone the builders rejected
has become the capstone," 8and,
"A stone that causes men to stumble
and a rock that makes them fall."
They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for. 9But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

I love this passage. It calls us to be so much more then just believers in God, it calls us to be followers. I love how it talks about craving pure spiritual milk.

"Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation"

As believers we must crave the spiritual purity that God longs for us to have. If we are sucking back on "sissy spiritual milk" that does not provide us with the nutrition in Christ we need, then we will not grow in out faith as believers.

I also like how it talks about how we are God's chosen people. Have you ever thought about that? God not needing us at all, but choosing us? I think of last weeks' sermon that Ron did. How he played the nerdy kid that never got picked by any one but God chose him. In the same way, for some reason, God thinks I am special. Blows my mind.

-B Mapes