1 Peter 2:9 (NIV)
9 But you are a chosen people, a royal
priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you
may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his
wonderful light.
Excluded. Rejected. Discarded. Abandoned. Forgotten. Pushed
aside. Not picked. Each of these describes an aspect of feeling like you are a
nobody. Satan gives our sinful flesh the tools and the opportunities to speak
these words of self-condemnation to ourselves. But God — two of the greatest
words in the Bible — loved us in Christ and brought us into his family and gave
us a purpose. We are now part of the people of God! We have been chosen for the
victorious team of teams. We have received mercy! Grace has washed over us and
the love of God has adopted us in his family. Peter is giving maligned and
persecuted people the reminder that they can choose to see themselves as
"nobodies" or they can choose to see themselves by their new
identity. Thankfully, Peter's words speak to our hearts, too. You, dear friend
in Jesus, are God's child. You are part of his eternal and conquering people —
like Moses, Esther, Paul, and Mary Magdalene. Mercy has reversed the power of
sin and failure and put grace in place empowered by the Holy Spirit's presence
in you. So don't live today as you once "were": live today as you are
in Jesus!
Thought for today:
Do I know my worth, calling and purpose?
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