Thursday, December 8, 2016
No one can find anything in the Bible that is there by accident or coincidence. 2 timothy3:16 reminds us that “all scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.” Besides being given for these purposes, in other parts of the Bible we see that God’s Word can also encourage, inspire, comfort, and guide among other things. Unfortunately, too many of today’s preachers, knowing what people really want to hear, instead focus almost entirely on health, prosperity, or the spiritual gifts, never giving their hearers the more complete message of the Bible. Before I stray, let me get to my previous point that what we read in the Bible is there for a specific purpose.
That being said, we often like the sound of some particular and well known bible verses, even know them by heart, and often do not consider the complete meaning of them. I Peter 2:9 is one of them. It reads: “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvellous light.” (KJV) A royal priesthood sets us off as kings and priests and if God has called us to show forth His praises, this puts us in the same position as the prophets of old. In Old Testament times, there were only three types of persons who were anointed into God’s service, prophets, priests, and kings. The anointing today of God’s servants comes by way of the Holy Spirit. As a prophet, you are called to share God’s Word with others. As a priest, you should live a life which honors Him, which is your spiritual sacrifice to Him. And as kings, we have been called to reign with Christ in this life. I know, we seldom think of ourselves in this way and we tend to settle comfortably in the bracket that people around us have placed us in. Why can’t we see ourselves as God sees us? Why can’t we take Him at His Word and make a sincere effort to be the people He wants us to be?
Are we doing the work of a prophet? Are we sharing with others what we have learned of Him? How about playing the role of a priest? Do we intercede for others and pray on their behalf? Are we ready and willing to answer their questions about God as we know them? As do kings which are obedient to the divine call, are we doing our part to make the lives of those around us better? I trust we are not in the same frame of mind Cain demonstrated before God when he flippantly asked “Am I my brother’s keeper?” (Genesis 4:9) It was bad enough that he did not care for or make an effort to defend and protect his younger brother, Abel; he murdered him in a jealous rage. A good king, is aware of his responsibility to look after and provide for those assigned to his care. We should have the same attitude.
God’s word for today: (Romans 12:1 KJV) “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.”
