There is a song by Keith Green that comes to mind in the study of this passage. It’s a song that describes the heart cry of a Christian going through a dry season, a season where the Christian feels weak and powerless and has lost something of the zest and zeal of Christian living.
Ever been there?
Me too.
Here are some of the lyrics:
My eyes are dry
My faith is old
My heart is hard
My prayers are cold
And I know how I ought to be
Alive to You and dead to me
Here is the desire of every true believer. We really wish to be alive to God and dead to ourselves. As we continue our studies in 1 Peter, I believe this passage of Scripture–1 Peter 2:4-8–helps us find renewal in Christ.
In today’s post we’ll look at the first of three actions to take to experience spiritual renewal:
Continually Come to Christ
We come to Christ first to be saved, but then we must continually come to Him frequently throughout each day. Verse 4 begins with a participle that conveys continual activity:
Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, (verse 4)
Before we talk about that phrase “living stone,” a reference to Christ, note what we are to do. We are to continually come to Him, continually approaching Jesus Christ.
The answer to your dry seasons and times where you feel apathetic spiritually, is found in continually approaching Christ. Seek Him regularly through prayer, praise, worship, and the reading of God’s Word.
Think of when you’re dry physically. Whether you’re playing sports, working out, or running, it’s critical to continue hydrating, continually taking-in water. If you don’t regularly drink water while you’re doing some physical activity, you’re going to get weak, dry, and drained.
The same is true spiritually. You’re living the Christian life and it can be grueling at times. And if you don’t continually come to Christ, regularly approaching the living water (John 4:10-14), continually drinking from the well of Christ, then you’re going to get weak, dry, and drained.
The preceding verse studied in our last post is helpful:
“If indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.” (verse 3)
Here is salvation: “tasting of the Lord,” desiring God and delighting in God; thirsting for God the way a newborn babe thirsts for milk (verse 2).
Once you come to Christ in faith, continue approaching Him to grow. Once you have “tasted that the Lord is good,” go on tasting, coming to Him frequently, drawing near to Him regularly in worship and study of His Word.
Peter refers to Christ in verse 4 as “a living stone” and builds on this stone imagery throughout the passage, referring to Christ as the cornerstone (Chief cornerstone in NKJV), the most important stone to ensure the integrity of a building. This is a stone that Peter says some come to and are saved, while others come to the stone and stumble over it, remaining lost.
This is why Peter says in verse 4 that Christ is a stone some “reject,” casting the stone aside as inconsequential, unnecessary, or of no use. Like a brick mason rejecting a stone for his building and later discovering that that very stone was the most important stone for the building.
But of course Christ is not just a stone. Peter refers to Christ as a “living stone.” Believers in the Old Testament came to the temple when they came to God. They came to a temple made of stones. Jesus Christ is far superior to a temple made of old, dead stones. He is a living stone. He was crucified and He died, but He came back from the dead and lives.
And Peter says this living stone “is rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious.” He is precious to the Father. The Father loves the Son. And because the Son is precious to the Father we who are joined to Him–joined to the Chief Cornerstone–are also precious to the Father.
Christians are forever “connected” to Christ. Paul describes the union this way: “For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3).”
Believers are “hidden with Christ,” clothed in His righteousness. The Son is precious to the Father and we who are joined to this living stone, we who are “in Christ,” are also precious to the Father.
But we must maintain our growing relationship with God by continually approaching Christ in a sustained fellowship of prayer, praise, and study of His Word.
We must continually come to Christ the way an athlete continually comes to the water cooler or, to borrow from Peter, the way a newborn baby continually comes to its mother for milk (1Peter 2:2).
Want to get out of your spiritual dryness? Continually come to Christ.
What About You?
- How does John 4:10-14 complement 1 Peter 2:4?
- How can regular attendance in worship and small group study renew us during dry seasons?
- While public worship is important to “rehydrate” us, so is private worship. What daily disciplines help you “drink from the well” of Christ?
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