November 15 – Fulfill God’s role for your life.

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 marvellous light. (1 Peter 2:9 HCSB)

You, little old you with all your faults, with the sad background, with the unremarkable life and an unremarkable job, are seen in a totally different light in God’s eyes.  You are chosen by Him.  You are royalty, and part of His holy nation. And if you are chosen, then you can expect that unremarkable life to become extraordinarily used by Him.  

If you remember the story of the Hebrew slaves who were finally released from the oppression of Egypt and taken to the promised land, you have a picture of how God sees you who are truly devoted to Him.  They had rejected God as a people, for around 400 years.  They had grown in numbers and turned from favored immigrants in Egypt, to slaves.  But out of God’s mercy, when they cried out to Him and remembered that He was their God and not the idols of Egypt, He sent Moses to set them free by His power.  He took them to Mt. Sinai and made a covenant with them.  They were to be His special, loved and highly esteemed chosen people, a holy nation set apart for Him.  All they needed to do was to obey the simple commands that He gave them.   They had turned from filthy rejects and into the most honored and powerful people on the earth.  

The problem was that many of them had a hard time shaking off their slave mentality.  They were royalty and greatly valued, but they whined and complained and quickly doubted God whenever problems arose.  Yet He lovingly forgave them and graciously provided for them throughout their journey through the wilderness.  There was manna and quail to eat, water that gushed out of rocks, a pillar of fire by night and a pillar of cloud by day to guide them.  He gave them every reason to trust in Him, and yet at the border of the promised land, they complained again and refused to take possession of their promise.

If you feel like this promise is an exaggeration, too good to be true and a little prideful for you to really take seriously, you are sadly still in a slave mentality.  God has given each of us so much to prove His love, and yet we laugh at the thought that we could ever be so honored to be an example to the world, a chosen race.  It is not prideful to believe in God’s Word, it’s humility.  Have the audacity to know your authority over problems and to know how eager God is to come to your rescue when you are in need.  When your life is a role model for others, you will fulfill God’s will in your life.  Why does He want you to be a chosen race and a royal priesthood?  To proclaim the praises of the One who called you out of darkness and into His glorious light.  If you won’t, who will?