You are…a royal priesthood… —1 Peter 2:9
{CHAMBERS} “By
what right have we become “a royal priesthood”? It is by the right of the
atonement by the Cross of Christ that this has been accomplished. Are we prepared to purposely disregard
ourselves and to launch out into the priestly work of prayer? The continual
inner-searching we do in an effort to see if we are what we ought to be
generates a self-centered, sickly type of Christianity, not the vigorous and
simple life of a child of God. 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? We must get to
the point of being sick to death of ourselves, until there is no longer any
surprise at anything God might tell us about ourselves. We cannot reach and
understand the depths of our own meagerness. 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.”
{ELGIN} Have you ever heard the term “personal
relationship with Jesus Christ”? Or “me
and Jesus we got a good thing going”.
Much of our “personal relationship” in our Christian lives is wrapped up
in sin management and looking for blessings from God. (1
Peter 2:9) “But 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.” God has saved you, not just for your own
benefit but in order that you might declare the Good News to a lost world. Priests make intercession for others. Your life’s focus should not be on feathering
your own spiritual nest, but ministering to the spiritually weak and the lost. James
1:27 says this, “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless
is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself
from being polluted by the world.” You
want to practice your faith? The first
step, not the final one, is to have a clean heart. The next is intercession .. both in prayer and
in good works. Jesus said if you want to
follow Him you must offer yourself as a sacrifice (pick up your cross), deny
yourself (in favor of others) and follow Him (being one with the Father). Such is the life we are called to. Your home should not be a fortified sanctuary
from the world, but a lighthouse for those living around you.
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