"Behold I lay in Zion a choice stone, a precious corner stone" (Isaiah 28:16). This is what God says about His Son, Jesus Christ. He calls Christ a precious stone. Christ is precious because He entered the world "to give His life a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45).

When Christ came into the world he came preaching, "Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand" (Matthew 4:17). He called men and women to recognize their evil ways and turn from them. Christ also died on the cross to pay the penalty for those evil ways. Christ paid the ransom price to deliver men and women from bondage to sin and death. This is the Gospel, the Good News.

Many men and women do not believe they need to be ransomed from slavery to sin. They would not consider themselves to be sinners. As a result, they don’t trust Christ. They hope God will smile on them because of their good works. These people have not pursued salvation "by faith, but as though it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone" (Romans 9:32). For them Christ has become "a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense" (1 Peter 2:8).

Don’t be like these people. Don’t stumble over Christ. Trust His sacrifice. "He who believes in Him will not be disappointed" (Isaiah 28:16).