Daily Bread 11-28-16

1 Peter 2:6-8

6 Wherefore it is also contained in a scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.

7 Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made head of the corner,

8 And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.

ref. - Isa 28:16 - Therefore thus, saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.

Ps 118:22 - The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner.

Luke 20:16-18 - He shall come and destroy these husbandmen, and shall give the vineyard to others. And when they heard it, they said, God forbid. And he beheld them, and said, What is this then that is written, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner? Whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.

Isa 8:14 - And he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offense to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

Luke 2:34 - And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of any in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against;

Rom 9:22 - What if God , willing to show his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much long-suffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction:

Have you ever read something in the word of God or been taught from it and chosen not to be obedient to it? Soon everything that you read or hear is there confirming that which you wanted to deny. So much that you realized that you must be obedient to it. God doesn't back down when we say no. Quite the contrary, he pours it on! Not so different in the time that this scripture was written. At the time of this scripture there were a whole people who were denying that Christ was the one that the Prophets spoke of. To the non-believer he usually gave the truth, and if they did not accept it, he turned away and moved on. But his power and his fame increased. Word of his miracles and his examples spread through out the land to the point where these non-believers heard all that he was doing. Things didn't change because a few people decided to revolt. God's will was that his people follow Christ into this new covenant where they could be profitable servants to him. His will was also that the Gentile be allowed to follow as well. It still is his will. But the more that the Jews fought against him the more powerful he became. The more they tried to trip him up, the more they became tripped up in their own conceit. You see, the more they denied him, the more undeniable he became. Those who followed him, grew closer to God and were blessed. Miracles and salvation followed him everywhere he went and the word of him was spread throughout the land. But to those who denied him, all they got to be was spectators, unless they found the prophecy to be true and believed and were converted. God will not give up or back down when it comes to having his way. His will is going to be done one way or the other. The seed that has been planted in many is pressing, pressing, pressing at the surface, ready to sprout and become a fruitful tree, but many are still trying to shovel it under. This is where Christ will step in and really show us his power. Pretty soon, through the testimonies of others, teachings of a good Holy Ghost preacher, or even our own experiences, we will learn that the further we try to deny, the stronger his word will hold. Thank God he has not given up on some of us. But, as the word says, some vessels were fitted to destruction. This is not us, but it could become us if we keep denying the will of God through Jesus Christ. Pretty soon everything that we do will be contrary to the teachings of Christ. Even when we draw on scripture, it will be replaced by a teaching of Christ. But this is not what God called us to. He called us to greatness in Jesus Christ! He called us to perfection!! He called us to obedience in Christ! So, next time you decide to try to ignore what God is trying to do in you, you better hang on! If it comes from God, it will not leave you alone, and every way you turn, you will end up leaning on the one who you were trying to reject! Jesus Christ the same, yesterday! Today! and forever!!!! Let the fruit flow from your limbs and let Christ allow you to grow closer to God today and every day forward!! Have a great day!!!