Daily Devotions based on the Sermon Series: “STRANGERS in the World”
Week 6 of 7: “Strangers…Am I the only one?”
Full Sunday message, CONTEMPORARY or TRADITIONAL
5 IDENTITIES God wants you to embrace!
1 Peter 2:9 “…you are a ROYAL priesthood…”
If you have daughters in your home, at some point most of them have embraced one of the Disney princesses as their identity. They watched the movie. They were enthralled with the fantasy. They got the pretty dress and were proud to move around the house in the elegance and mindset of royalty.
Something about royalty captures the mind and heart of interest. Perhaps for some it’s the perceived luxurious lifestyle. Perhaps it’s the “happily ever after” that fairy tales are made of. Or perhaps it’s the lure of power captured by playing a game of “King of the Hill.”
No matter what your perception, to have the designation of “royal” is a positive and prestigious status…especially when it comes from the King of kings! God calls you royal which means you are part of HIS kingdom.
Martin Luther in his explanation to the 2nd Article of the Apostles Creed put it this way:
I believe that Jesus Christ, …who has redeemed me, a lost and condemned person, purchased and won me from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil; not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death, that I may be His own and live under Him in His kingdom and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness, ….
No matter what status we have in the world in which we live, through the work of Jesus you have been made royalty in the kingdom of God…and given a special role…to serve as priests!
This may seem like an odd designation, but consider what a priest did…
- He got to speak with and interact with God directly…(you do too!)
- He was to understand the will and words of God and share them with others…(you get to do this too).
- He represented God to the people…(he calls you to this as well!)
Ironic that a king and a priest were anointed in the Old Testament for these very special and important rolls. You, by God’s grace in the waters of your baptism, have been given this identity and set apart for this special roll…to be a ROYAL PRIEST…a servant in the kingdom of the most high God.
So you may not have the pretty dress or the jeweled crown, but you have a royal identity with a prestigious purpose to carry out today…enjoy being a royal priest of the King of kings. Serve him with your heart full and your head held high!
Apply: How does your perspective on your day’s activities change as you embrace your status as a “royal priest”?
Prayer: Lord, thank you for changing my status and my position through Jesus to be included as a royal member of your majestic kingdom and entrusted with serving you as a priest. Assist me today in embracing this identity and carrying out this role to your glory!