This Day in History: 0000-04-22

April 22 – 1 Peter 2: 9-12

You are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession.  As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for He called you out of darkness into His wonderful light.
“Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God’s people. Once you received no mercy; now you have received God’s mercy.”
Dear friends, I warn you as “temporary residents and foreigners” to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls. Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when He judges the world.

When God chose Abraham and his family to be His very own people, the family from which He would one day bring the Savior into the world, He did it for a purpose.  He wanted the nation of Israel to be a shining light in this dark world. A light that pointed back to Him.  But the nation of Israel failed time and time again until finally, they rejected Him altogether when they rejected Jesus Christ as their Messiah.  But God changed things up a bit at that point.

After the death and resurrection of Jesus, when the veil was torn in two and access to God became available to anyone who trusted in the work of Christ on the cross, He grafted these new “Christians” into His family.  The New Testament Church took the place of the nation of Israel as God’s chosen people.  And that is still the case today.  You and I have the great honor of being a part of that holy nation, God’s own possession!

Without Christ, we were nothing.  But now,  covered by His great mercy, we have become a royal priesthood!  As a result, it has become our purpose to shine for Him in this dark world.  Let’s not allow the allure of sin all around us to pull us away from that purpose as the Israelites did.  Let’s keep our eyes laser focused on the eternal, remembering that when we live each day honoring God in our actions it will draw others to Him.  It will prove who He is and what He has done in us and it will impact the course of eternity for many.

Have you forgotten who you are and allowed your focus to shift to the temporary troubles all around you?  Let’s get back into the battle today, and reclaim our souls from the clutches of the enemy.

We are a chosen people, royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession!  We have received His mercy and been called out of darkness into light and given a new identity – we are His!  Let’s allow that truth to inspire us to live our lives in such an honorable way that the unbelievers all around us will see the goodness of God, and will give honor to Him!