For The World

Read: 1 Peter 2:1-10

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 the darkness into his wonderful light. 1 Peter 2:9

IN WORD

Chosen by God Himself to belong to Him. Royal by virtue of adoption and delegated authority in this world. Priestly in standing between heaven and earth to represent God to humanity and humanity to God. A special possession, set apart for a distinct purpose. All of this and more as citizens of this Kingdom. Why? In order to declare His praises for taking us out of the realm of darkness and putting us in the realm of light.

That’s what happens when we live with a future perspective in a present world. We see things. Where skeptics and cynics see decay, corruption, and meaninglessness, we see life, truth, and purpose. Where darkness clouds the understanding of yet-to-be-redeemed humanity, we serve as chosen kings and priests who reflect His loving face and offer His answers to human problems. We’ve stepped out of the darkness, even while standing among it. We have a light source that others don’t have. And because of that, we praise God.

It’s no coincidence that Peter places this statement between a passage on human rejection of Jesus and one on life in a pagan society. Like the chief cornerstone, we are living stones in a living temple, hosts to the presence of God in a world that doesn’t see Him. Our job? To give them a view of who He is. To be light in dark places. To stand in the darkness as something decidedly different from it. That’s the goal of our privileged position. We are here for people to see God.

IN DEED

Be visible. That isn’t the same as being ostentatious, noisy, or self-promoting. As Jesus said, we are to let our light shine as a people and as individuals. We are to give the world a clear alternative. The only way to do that is to step into Scripture’s lavish description of who we are, to live up to the calling. And to declare the praises of the one who has forever transferred us from darkness to light.

ADDITIONAL READING: Matthew 5:14-16

Lighthouses do not ring bells and fire cannons to call attention to their shining. They just shine.

D. L. MOODY