The gift of faith

 

“The stone rejected by the builders has become the cornerstone.”  [Psalms 118:22]

The older I get the more I realize that the greatest gift God gives is the gift of faith in Jesus.  Peter, in the Acts of the Apostles puts it eloquently: “There is no salvation through anyone else, nor is there any other name under heaven given to the human race by which we are to be saved.” [Acts 4:1-12]

It took me years to come to a full grasp of the importance of the gift of faith.  Our secular culture conditions us to believe that other dimensions of life are more primary for a fulfilled human life.  We all pass through these different dimensions at one time or another: belongingness and love from others, social respect and stature, security (especially financial security), actualization of personal talents, physical health, and, finally, a long and healthy old age.

But we can have these and still remain unfulfilled.

We’re incredulous that the Jewish temple leaders could reject Jesus — the stone rejected by the builders!  But a more important question arises for us: Is Jesus the cornerstone of our lives?  Is the presence and power of Jesus the integrating factor for every aspect of our lives?  Or influenced by our secular culture have we substituted something else as our cornerstone?

After the Resurrection the power and presence of Jesus became the cornerstone for the apostles.  Peter and the apostles fished all night catching nothing.  Then at dawn Jesus arrived; at Jesus’ beckoning they cast their nets on the other side of the boat and filled them to the breaking point [John 21:1-14].

And Peter responds to the temple elders witnessing to the source of his power to heal the crippled man: “It is in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean that this man stands before you healed, nor is there any other name under heaven given to the human race by which we are to be saved.”

And Jesus becomes our cornerstone to the degree our lives are transformed by His presence and power.  During this Easter Season we pray for a fuller experience of our Risen Lord so we can exclaim, “This is the day the Lord has made. Let us be glad and rejoice in it!” [Psalms 118:24]