God's chosen people
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 1 Peter 2:9-10 CSB
In light of the previous devotional, the believers may be under persecution from those that reject Christ, the chief cornerstone. Not only that, but as the believers grow, there comes growing pains, as part of the refining process done by Jesus Christ, which may seem taxing (1 Peter 1:6-7). So, Peter offers encouragement to the believers by showing how valued they are to God, by sharing these classifications. First, a chosen race emphasizes that God has picked His people and called them to be the church. Second, a royal priesthood shows that the One believers serve as priest to is important, the Lord of all creation. Third, a holy nation emphasizes that believers have been set apart and distinguished from the world around them by God. Fourth, a people for his possession means that God cares intimately for His people, loving them, and that they cannot be taken from His hand, seen in John 10:28, "I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand." Verse 10 drives the point that we as believers did not gain this status by our own work, but by God's mercy being given to us, God choosing us to be united together as the church. We were given these titles by God to not only show that we are valued by Him, but also to serve Him with a purpose seen in verse 9: "so that you may proclaim the praises of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light." We are called to verbally and publicly declare God to the one around us, speaking of our testimonies on how the Lord Jesus had saved us from darkness and hopelessness into a life of light and joy. May we declare this boldly to those around today. One of my favorite songs about the marvelous light:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAQJKZJB-kE&ab_channel=lesdudis
Blessings,
Isaac De Guzman
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