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? […] 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. […] 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[…] 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} If the Father’s intent is that we be conformed to the image
of His Son (Romans 8:29) – well what
exactly is that. Jesus was and the is
the fulfillment of everything that the Temple represented – He is the sacrificial
offering (John 1:29) – He is the
Curtain (Matthew 27:50-51) – He is the
High Priest (Hebrews 4:14) – and He is
the obedient son doing the will of the Father (John 4:34). (Galatians 2:20)
“I am crucified with Christ – nevertheless I live, yet not I but Christ lives
in me. And the life that I now live, I
live by faith in the Son who loved me and gave himself up for me.”
Being conformed does not mean
that we look different on the outside – but that we are transformed on the inside
– which – by the way – results in a transformation on the outside. When the Bible says that we are a royal
priesthood – it’s similar to the Tribe of Levi who were priests … Jesus is the
firstborn among many brothers . (Romans
8:29-30) “For those God foreknew he
also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the
firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also
called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also
glorified.”
Paul said that we are to
offer ourselves as living sacrifices (Romans
12:1,2). Jesus said “No greater love
has one man than this, than to lay down his life for His friends. (John 15:13) He also said the second
greatest commandment was to “love you neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39) That does not mean to
merely get along – it means to Agape them – Like Jesus asked Peter – Do you love
Me? (John 21:17) Asking – “will you lay down your life for Me?”
Jesus told the parable of the
Talents (Matthew 25:14-30). The first man was given one talent (a talent
is a unit of measure – about 75lbs – for precious metals like gold and silver). The man took it and buried it when he was given
it with the intent that he would multiply it.
That is what so many do with their faith. They hide it .. don’t let it follow its natural
course which is to multiply itself.
So – you knew this was
coming! – how are you doing with your talent? Have you settled in to who you
are in Christ and who are to be to the world you live in? Or did you stick all that in the ground and
press on with life the best you can. Are you being transformed on the inside
and is it obvious on the outside? I
called a plumber the other day to ask him to do some work on a house we are restoring
in Houston. When he is with me – he talks
about the Lord – being a Christian – well, he answered the phone and assumed I
was someone else. He started ranting with
a heavy sprinkling of expletives. I was
finally able to interrupt his rant to tell him that I was Charley with
Pathfinder. He realized I was not who he thought I was and his countenance
changed immediately. “Out of the
abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.” (Luke 6:45) Is it evident to people you don’t know or who are not
Christians that you are a Christian? How would you answer the Jesus question “Do
You Love Me?” Something to think about .. and perhaps talk about with the Lord.
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