“… 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. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” – 1 Peter 2:9-10
Peter wrote this letter to the exiled believers scattered throughout the known world. They were under extreme persecution, to which Peter was no stranger. I dare say we today have it easy compared to the first believers. They were beaten and thrown in jail for preaching the gospel message. In America we have religious freedom, so while folks may turn away from our message, we have the freedom to speak it out at will whenever and wherever we please. We don’t, but we can.
We, as Christians, are no ordinary people. We are set apart to do good works for God, who called us out of darkness into his wonderful light. We received mercy. We chose to serve the one true living God and because of that decision have been made holy in His sight through the blood of Christ. Why do so many of us receive the gift of salvation and then go about our business as if no change has occurred in us? Perhaps it is a lack of understanding. Once redeemed our hearts should be filled to overflowing with peace, joy and gratitude. We should feel different. We should begin to act differently. Our whole mind set should change. We are a child of the King. We are adopted; grafted into God’s family. We have received mercy in exchange for our sin. We have received grace or undeserved favor from a holy God who does not look upon sin as whimsy. Sin is what has separated us from God in the first place. There is a price tag on our sin. Christ paid that price. We are free from the bondage sin had ensnared us. We are to praise his holy name because he saved us. He didn’t have to do that. He could have left us mired in the quicksand of our iniquities. He chose to save us unto himself. An attitude of servitude toward our Heavenly Father should be our natural inclination based on what has been done for us. Yet we allow ourselves to become so easily enraptured by that which is around us. We must adjust our focus, “fixing our eyes upon Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith …”. (Hebrews 12:2). Only then will we be truly free.
Walk with the King today and be a blessing!!
