The Precious Cornerstone

Key Passage: 1 Peter 2:7-8 

Devotional: 

What is most precious to you? We all treasure something—whether it’s security, relationships, reputation, comfort, or control. But Peter tells us in 1 Peter 2:7 that there is only one thing truly worthy of being called precious—Jesus Christ, the cornerstone. 

To those who believe, Christ is infinitely valuable. He is the foundation on which our lives rest, the rock that upholds us, the sure place where we can stand. But to those who reject Him, He is a stumbling block—a stone that gets in the way of their own desires and ambitions. The same stone that is life and security for some is offense and inconvenience for others. 

In Isaiah 28:16, God declares, “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation.” The Israelites knew this was a promise of the coming Messiah. He would be the permanent foundation of God’s kingdom. This was necessary because the old law was impossible to uphold. No matter how hard they tried, the Israelites failed to keep God’s commands. So, what the Israelites needed is what we all needed—a new law, a sole avenue that would save all people. Jesus came to fulfill what no man could—and He did so perfectly, making Him the immovable, permanent, and precious cornerstone. But the irony is this—when He arrived, many rejected Him. The very ones who had waited for the cornerstone stumbled over Him instead. 

This is the tragedy of misplaced treasure. The world tells us to build our lives on success, comfort, or self-sufficiency, but all of those things crumble under pressure. Only Christ, the chosen and precious stone, remains firm. What we treasure shapes how we live. If Christ is our greatest treasure, then our lives will reflect His worth—we will gladly lay aside sin, surrender our plans, and find joy in obedience. But if we value something else more, we will find ourselves resisting Him, treating Him as an obstacle instead of our foundation. 

The difference between those who build their lives on Christ and those who stumble over Him is not found in who Christ is—He remains the cornerstone either way. The difference is in our hearts. Have we truly seen His worth? Have we counted all else as loss compared to the surpassing value of knowing Him (see Philippians 3:8)? 

Application Question: Is Christ truly your cornerstone? What lesser treasures might be keeping you from seeing His surpassing worth? 

Further Study: Isaiah 28:16; Matthew 21:42-44; Philippians 3:8 

Written by Jaclyn Mains