You are…a royal priesthood…
—1 Peter 2:9
“Until we get into this right
and proper relationship with God, it is simply a case of our “hanging on by the
skin of our teeth,” although we say, “What a wonderful victory I have!” Yet
there is nothing at all in that which indicates the miracle of redemption.
Launch out in reckless, unrestrained belief that the redemption is complete.
Then don’t worry anymore about yourself, but begin to do as Jesus Christ has
said, in essence, “Pray for the friend who comes to you at midnight, pray for
the saints of God, and pray for all men.” Pray with the realization that you
are perfect only in Christ Jesus, not on the basis of this argument: “Oh, Lord,
I have done my best; please hear me now.”
How long is it going to take God to free us from the unhealthy habit of
thinking only about ourselves? […] There is only one place where we are right
with God, and that is in Christ Jesus. Once we are there, we have to pour out
our lives for all we are worth in this ministry of the inner life.” CHAMBERS
I often quote 1 John 1:9 when
referring to the Christian’s need to live right before God and not to harbor
sin. Harboring sin neutralizes your
spiritual health. It interrupts your
effectiveness in accomplishing your heavenly purpose. When John wrote that God is “faithful and
just to forgive us” the reason is not that
I admitted my sin to the Father, but that the Son had paid the price for that
sin. Some people balk at the idea that
they are not perfect in Christ all of the time.
A casual reading of the New Testament will show you that there was much
concern about the Saints turning to their old nature and walking after the flesh
and not the Spirit. When the high priest
would go into the Holy of Holies on the Day of Atonement, he would first offer
a sacrifice for his own sins. As the
story goes, the other priests would tie a rope around his waist so in the event
that God struck Him dead, he could be pulled out, since only the high priest
could enter. Now why would they need to
do that if there was no worry about the high priest being right before
God?
As a Christian, you have
been given a priestly work. (2 Corinthians 5:18-20) “All this is
from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry
of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not
counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of
reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were
making his appeal through us.” Your purpose is one of intercession and reconciliation. You were not saved for yourself alone. The life you live is not so that you might be
served but so you might serve others and show them Jesus through your life.
But you must do it with a clean heart. Those who have ears, let them hear. Those
who have eyes, let them see. Those who
have understanding, let them live by faith and serve in obedience to their
calling. CHARLEY
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