October 11: We used to be nobodies

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 — Holman Christian Standard Bible)

What you think of yourself has a great influence on what you can do, and what God can do with you. A well known example of this is what happened when the people of Israel sent spies into the land of Canaan. They had been promised the land of Canaan by God, and been told that He would give them victory over all their enemies. But when the spies came back, most of them were afraid and said, “To ourselves we seemed like grasshoppers, and we must have seemed the same to them.” God was ready to give them total victory over their enemies, but they had no faith and thought of themselves as nothing. As a result they failed.

Today’s passage reveals what and who we are in God’s eyes. Forget about what you think you are… and listen to God. If you genuinely believe in the Lord Jesus you are part of the chosen people of God. That means God has chosen you — you are special to Him. When we talk about choice fruit or meat, or a choice piece of property, we’re referring to something very different from the ordinary — and you are very different from ordinary people because you are chosen. We are a royal priesthood — royal because we are sons and daughters of the King — and priests because we have access to the very presence of God. We are a holy nation — God's nation. Our nationality may be this or that, but what is really important is our citizenship in God's Kingdom.

Our purpose in the world is to show the glory of God — to let His light shine. We have a relationship with Jesus, the King of kings, that no one else has. Our prayers are listened to and are answered. God's Holy Spirit lives in some of us, and others are working at reaching that point. We are the people of God Almighty — chosen, holy, and destined to reign with Jesus. In the past we were nobodies, but now, through Him, we are recipients of all the wonderful blessings of the Lord Jesus.

So stop wasting time and start viewing yourself the way God does… and make a difference in this world.