May 28
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OUT OF DARKNESS INTO HIS MARVELOUS LIGHT
9 But you are A CHOSEN PEOPLE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR GOD’S OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 10 for you once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are THE PEOPLE OF GOD; you had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY.
– 1 Peter 2:9-10
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In this letter, Peter reminds us of our stand in the kingdom of God. He speaks of the honor that was given to the chosen people. They come from a royal priesthood, a holy nation and God’s own possession. Although the Old Testament talks about the Levitical/Aaronic priesthood that were given to the tribe of the Levi, the coming of Jesus and dying on the cross changed that. All who come to serve the Lord Jesus Christ becomes royalty in God’s kingdom, they are considered holy and part of the priesthood who will be mediated by the Christ himself to his heavenly Father in heaven. In the Old Testament, they were mediated by the priesthood of the tribe of Levi. When Jesus died, he became the direct link to the Father and if we believe in Him, he elevates us to the royal priesthood and gives us the ability to be a holy nation. What an honor to be chosen by the Lord God himself!
Peter explains in this letter the responsibility that we have as royal priests and holy nation. In verse 9, the position of honor and royalty comes with an obligation. We are to proclaim the excellencies of God who has called us out of the darkness into His marvelous light. Just like a king or queen has a big responsibility to take the concerns of the nation and his/her subjects as priority, we have similar position as royalty. It means that we are not free to do our own will because we need to think of our priorities. We cannot be selfish and be concerned with personal matters and self-gratification. We are expected to be accountable to our Heavenly Father. Everything we do needs to be focused on the kingdom. If you have watched or read biographies of kings and queens, you will probably be thinking how lonely and stuck they are in their positions because they are not free to be doing what they want. They have to take into consideration everything that they have dominion over. It is an honor to be royalty, but it is also a big responsibility. As people of God, we cannot behave like those living in darkness anymore. We have now received the marvelous light of Jesus. No more excuse to live our old lives when we weren’t his priests.
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REFLECTION
• How can you ensure that you don’t live in darkness after Jesus brought you light?