"But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness and into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy."
1 Peter 2:9-10
These words! Woooooow.
I've spent the last few weeks reading and re-reading the words of 1 Peter. I keep going back to it because the words are new every day! I wish I could just copy and paste the whole letter on here!
All that red type stuck out to me most. It's what those who know Jesus are.
Chosen.
Royal.
Holy.
Out of darkness.
In His marvelous light.
God's people.
Receivers of mercy.
The adjectives really get me.
Chosen. Royal. Holy.
How many days do I wake up and say, "Wow, thank you Jesus! I'm chosen, royal, and holy because of YOU"?
Not many. I usually begin the day without thinking much at all about this truth.
But how do I forget something like this!? It should be the only thing I think about, the only purpose behind everything I do, the only thing in which I find hope and security! But that's not how I go about every day.
What is blocking me from truth of this magnitude?!
I honestly didn't know for a while, but then it hit me like a ton of bricks, mid-lecture, in my way-too-early class last week.
It was me. I have been totally fine being a bystander of Jesus. Not a follower, not a servant, but a really bad (attempting) co-leader.
I focused all my attention on my short-term plans of how to get through whatever I'm currently dealing with, believing that I could do it myself.
Because the grass is always greener on the other side of the trial, right?
Maybe for a few feet.
Maybe.
Probably not.
Usually, the grass is just another shade of green that I'd rather not look at. Yet I look at it and sulk. Instead of looking up to the Lord to show me why it's that color, I keep looking down and navigating about it alone, making every effort to get out as fast as I can.
Come ooooon. I just want to be on the greenest side!
I catch myself sometimes and wonder if I'll ever be content with the color.
Then come some more of Peter's words.
No because I'll always be able to find things I don't like about where I am.
No because I'll probably try to escape it all alone again, ignoring the value I'm supposed to see in it.
No because I'll never reach that perfect hue of green until I'm living forever in that imperishable, undefiled, and unfading inheritance.
But yes because this is a secure promise.
Yes because it's kept in heaven for all who believe.
Yes because I know I can hope in this perfect green grass (that feels a million years away).
Yes because I know it's already here in part.
Yes because I know it's coming in full.
God doesn't let me sit idly. He lets the grass in life change unexpectedly, sometimes to a prettier hue and sometimes to an uglier one, because He's always sanctifying me- molding me and pruning me to be holy as He is.
Even in the deadest (real word?) of grasses, we have a living Hope, who is Jesus, and we are being guarded through faith.
We will experience endless joy, no suffering, perfectly green grass one day. Until then, there will always be something we aren't content with. But instead of keeping our noses down, trying to lead Jesus around or beg Him to let us out, it is the time we should look up and say, "Lord, I don't like this, but I know I'm here to become more like You."
When we're here, we can confidently trust that even though the grass is not our favorite green, He's teaching us something through it. But that only starts when we turn our focus from self-pity and discontent to Him, remembering that we are
Chosen.
Royal.
Holy.
Out of darkness.
In His marvelous light.
God's people.
Receivers of mercy.
One day on the other side of heaven, it'll be the perfect shade. But even now we have an eternally secure hope in Jesus, and the grass looks a lot greener when we look up and find our security in that.
*emphasis in the verses is mine - I don't know how necessary that is to clarify, but I see it in things I read?
All that red type stuck out to me most. It's what those who know Jesus are.
Chosen.
Royal.
Holy.
Out of darkness.
In His marvelous light.
God's people.
Receivers of mercy.
The adjectives really get me.
Chosen. Royal. Holy.
How many days do I wake up and say, "Wow, thank you Jesus! I'm chosen, royal, and holy because of YOU"?
Not many. I usually begin the day without thinking much at all about this truth.
But how do I forget something like this!? It should be the only thing I think about, the only purpose behind everything I do, the only thing in which I find hope and security! But that's not how I go about every day.
What is blocking me from truth of this magnitude?!
I honestly didn't know for a while, but then it hit me like a ton of bricks, mid-lecture, in my way-too-early class last week.
It was me. I have been totally fine being a bystander of Jesus. Not a follower, not a servant, but a really bad (attempting) co-leader.
I focused all my attention on my short-term plans of how to get through whatever I'm currently dealing with, believing that I could do it myself.
Because the grass is always greener on the other side of the trial, right?
Maybe for a few feet.
Maybe.
Probably not.
Usually, the grass is just another shade of green that I'd rather not look at. Yet I look at it and sulk. Instead of looking up to the Lord to show me why it's that color, I keep looking down and navigating about it alone, making every effort to get out as fast as I can.
Come ooooon. I just want to be on the greenest side!
I catch myself sometimes and wonder if I'll ever be content with the color.
Then come some more of Peter's words.
"According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you..."
1 Peter 1:3b-4So will I ever be content while I'm here? No and yes.
No because I'll always be able to find things I don't like about where I am.
No because I'll probably try to escape it all alone again, ignoring the value I'm supposed to see in it.
No because I'll never reach that perfect hue of green until I'm living forever in that imperishable, undefiled, and unfading inheritance.
But yes because this is a secure promise.
Yes because it's kept in heaven for all who believe.
Yes because I know I can hope in this perfect green grass (that feels a million years away).
Yes because I know it's already here in part.
Yes because I know it's coming in full.
God doesn't let me sit idly. He lets the grass in life change unexpectedly, sometimes to a prettier hue and sometimes to an uglier one, because He's always sanctifying me- molding me and pruning me to be holy as He is.
Even in the deadest (real word?) of grasses, we have a living Hope, who is Jesus, and we are being guarded through faith.
We will experience endless joy, no suffering, perfectly green grass one day. Until then, there will always be something we aren't content with. But instead of keeping our noses down, trying to lead Jesus around or beg Him to let us out, it is the time we should look up and say, "Lord, I don't like this, but I know I'm here to become more like You."
When we're here, we can confidently trust that even though the grass is not our favorite green, He's teaching us something through it. But that only starts when we turn our focus from self-pity and discontent to Him, remembering that we are
Chosen.
Royal.
Holy.
Out of darkness.
In His marvelous light.
God's people.
Receivers of mercy.
One day on the other side of heaven, it'll be the perfect shade. But even now we have an eternally secure hope in Jesus, and the grass looks a lot greener when we look up and find our security in that.
*emphasis in the verses is mine - I don't know how necessary that is to clarify, but I see it in things I read?
