It's All About …

"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may live, love and be happy all the rest of your lives" —I Peter 2:9 NIV.

Don't you just love this verse?

What? I misquoted? No way! Isn't the purpose of our salvation to give us abundant life? Isn't abundant life a nice home, a modest bank account, kids who turn out well, two cars, a beach apartment or lakeside cottage, health and freedom from anxiety, a comfortable pew in a comfortable church where I can be served a comfortable gospel? It isn't?

Well, paint me red with embarrassment!

So what does the verse actually say?

"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light" —1 Peter 2:9 NIV.

You mean God saved me so that I could go on mission for Him? No kidding!

Declare? As in speak for Him?

Lift Him up before others?

Tell my salvation story?

Be a missionary?

Funny, I thought it was all about me. I guess I was wrong.

Comments

  1. Yvonne Blake4 December 2009 at 07:33

    It makes me think of Psalm 1:2,3 "But his delight is in the law of the Lord...whatsoever he doeth shall prosper."

    Also Joshua 1:8 "This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth... for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success."

    Success and prosperity of a Christian is not a visible thing; it's a spiritual thing.

    Thanks for the reminder.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Case of the Pilfering Peacock

Image
Such little things under ordinary circumstances: a few pots of lettuce and a little spinach. But in a country like Pakistan, and in the heart of the Sindh, anything resembling salad is as hard to find as hen’s teeth; well, in this case, peacock’s teeth. My friend, Hannah, is a retired missionary nurse. Actually she became a retreaded missionary nurse, having returned to Pakistan several times several times after retirement to fill a desperate need for nursing staff at the hospital she first went to serve in back in the 1960s.   A wall surrounds the hospital. On the grounds are the homes of the medical staff and some of the Pakistani people who work at the facility. It also seems to be the favourite place for the peacocks from the local Temple to hang out.    It had to be the lettuce and the spinach that attracted them. When she first noticed the peacocks, Hannah admired their beauty—until she noticed that they were lunching on the spinach. She tried to shoo them away. “Pe...
Read more

Advocate

Image
Welcome to Word-Filled Wednesday hosted by Christy at Critty Joy . Check out the pictures inspired by the Word of God. At the end of chapter 16, Job makes a statement that eludes to an advocate in heaven who intercedes for him. What did he believe? Or did he simply say what he was inspired to say without an understanding of its implications? “ Even now my witness is in heaven; my advocate is on high. My intercessor is my friend as my eyes pour out tears to God; on behalf of a man he pleads with God as a man pleads for his friend ” —Job 16:19-20. What a beautiful picture of the advocate we have with our Father—Jesus Christ who intercedes on our behalf as the One who paid for our release with his own blood. “ My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sin of the whole world ” —1 ...
Read more

Going the Long Way Around

Image
I could use a pillar of fire or a cloud of smoke. It’s not that I’m making some huge, life-changing decision to go somewhere or do something. It’s just that I’d like to know that the direction I am going in is the right one—especially on those days when I'm not so sure. Have you ever had times like that? The vision gets clouded, the path gets cluttered, the journey seems more circular (a.k.a. running around in circles) than anything else. Genesis 13 describes the beginning of the journey the Hebrews embarked upon as God took them out of Egypt. They began by marking the day with a ceremony that they were to observe for the rest of time—a means of remembering all that God had done, and a jumping off point in the lessons they were to teach their children about God (13:1-16). The chapter ends with this: “ By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or nig...
Read more