“As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 2:4-5)

Cornerstones

Atilius was hungry. Not in the sense of missing meals or having no access to the finest foods available to him in royal palaces. No. His hunger was for fame, prestige, name recognition, and wealth. In 27 CE, Atilius, a former slave turned architect and builder, saw an opportunity. The royals desired it, and the populus cried out for it. Contests in the arena. And so, the Fidenae amphitheater was constructed. Fierce gladiators, men of muscle and might with no empathy for the weak, would draw great crowds. Thousands of attendees would come, craving death in the arena.

Historians Tacitus and Suetonius recorded the event. It was a catastrophic loss of life and injury. Built on a faulty, inadequate foundation, the amphitheater collapsed under the weight of thousands of jumping, cheering, raucous attendees. The exact number is unknown, but somewhere between 20 and 50 thousand lives were either lost or severely injured.

Never underestimate the value of a cornerstone, the first stone laid in any structure. It is the source of strength, stability, alignment, and purpose for anything built upon it. A structure like Fidenae should never have been built on faulty, inadequate wood. Yet in haste, with praise, glory, and profit as underlying motives, it was. The result was disastrous! It always is when something is built on a faulty cornerstone.

Our lives are built on cornerstones of one kind or another. Have you considered yours? How is your life aligned? What might it be built on? Like Atilius, many build their lives on power, prestige, and personal gain and glory. Foundations built on what does not last will come at our expense and likely the expense of others. Jesus warns us, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal” (Matt. 6:19, ESV). There is danger there. There is disappointment there. There is disillusionment there.

A weak and inadequate cornerstone, a faulty foundation, will ultimately collapse. The Bible teaches us that we are “living stones being built up as a spiritual house” (1 Pet. 2:4). Is Christ Jesus your cornerstone? He is the sure foundation. In Him, there is no fault or lack. He offers strength, stability, purpose, promise, blessing, and a sure future. In Him are built the things that last. Things of heaven, where rust cannot destroy, nor thieves break in and steal. Choose Jesus as your cornerstone. Start building today.