BIBLE PASSAGE:
“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation,
God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him
who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”
(1 Peter 2:9)
MEDITATION:
The scriptures tell us that Christians are chosen people. It doesn’t
mean only certain people are chosen. It means that everyone has
been given an opportunity to belong to the Lord, and those who
choose to surrender their lives to Him have become a priesthood
(person of ministry) individually, and a holy nation collectively.
The Old Testament tells us that in order to become a priest, a
person needed to bathe themselves from head to toe. We see a
link from the Old Testament to the New Testament in Titus,
which tells of a ‘washing’ which symbolizes our salvation and
entry into priesthood.
But when the kindness and love of God our Savior
appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous
things we had done, but because of his mercy.
He saved us through the washing of rebirth and
renewal by the Holy Spirit.
(Titus 3:4-5)
When we are saved, we are bathed from head to toe in Christ’s cleansing
blood. That means that the dirt of sin is washed away and we become clean.
Unfortunately, our fleshly desires linger, but we have been given a new
mindset that has a desire to please the Lord in all that we do and say.
This is a dramatic change in our lives as we have become part of a
‘holy nation’. However, we should expect this change when we truly
surrender to the Lord. In the Old Testament, the priest was given a
linen garment. This is symbolic of the righteousness that is given
from the Lord to those who have been saved.
After his bath and receipt of the linen garment, the priest was anointed
with oil. For those who have been saved, this is symbolic of our receiving
the Holy Spirit. God, in His infinite wisdom, knows that we are incapable
of withstanding the attacks from Satan in our own strength, so the Holy
Spirit is given to His new priests.
Sin no longer rules our lives, but it still fights and the Holy Spirit helps
us in fighting back. Not only does the Holy Spirit strengthen us in
defending ourselves, but He also gives us a boldness to live out our
faith as a witness to others.
After they prayed, the place where they were meeting
was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy
Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.
(Acts 4:31)
We are not ‘closet Christians’ who live our faith in only selected
environments. No, we boldly come ‘out of the closet’ so that others
know we belong to the Lord. We welcome any opportunities to
serve the Lord, and to tell others about how our lives have been
enriched by the salvation He has given us.
ACTION:
It is refreshing and encouraging to see how God’s Word flows from
the Old to the New Testament. We are reminded of the importance
of including the entire Bible as God’s Word. Just as people needed
to hear about the Lord in the Old Testament, there are many who
are doomed to an eternity in hell today, unless they repent.
But the glaring question is, “Who will tell them about the Lord?”
We should never assume that this responsibility falls entirely on
the shoulders of pastors and missionaries. The scriptures tell us
that as ‘priests of God’, we have been ’chosen’ to ‘declare the praises
of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light’.
Pray,
“Heavenly Father thank You for my salvation and all
that it entails. Forgive me if I have failed to remember
that You have saved me so that I can serve You by telling
others about You, and what You have done for me. Help
me to give the Holy Spirit full reign in my life, so that I
will boldly and freely fulfill the purpose for which You
have called me to serve.”
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