Who We Really Are as God’s Chosen Treasure
Do you ever forget who you are in Christ? The truth is that we are God’s chosen treasure—kings and queens called out of darkness.
The Apostle Peter told us what’s true about our identities, what’s true about our roles in the Kingdom of God. He wrote, “But you are God’s chosen treasure—priests who are kings, a spiritual “nation” set apart as God’s devoted ones. He called you out of darkness to experience his marvelous light, and now he claims you as his very own. He did this so that you would broadcast his glorious wonders throughout the world.” That’s from 1 Peter chapter 2.
Eugene Peterson paraphrases those same words like this: “But you are the ones chosen by God, chosen for the high calling of priestly work, chosen to be a holy people, God’s instruments to do his work and speak out for him, to tell others of the night-and-day difference he made for you—from nothing to something, from rejected to accepted.”
From nothing to something. From rejected to accepted. We are God’s chosen treasure. We are kings and queens. We are now a people set apart as God’s devoted ones. We were called out of darkness. And we said yes to that call. And because of our yes, we’re now partnering with our Father, our heavenly Dad, in telling others of the power that rescued us and now burns within our hearts.
So, when we cower, overwhelmed by our circumstances, distracted, our attention focused only on everything we can see and touch around us, we can easily lose sight of who we are, who He is, what’s really going on here, and our good Father’s presence in our lives, in every moment.Okay, so, how can we, little by little, day by day, begin to turn our attention back to what is true?
Well, here’s a way: The Ignatian tradition encourages the regular, daily practice of reflecting—prayerfully—upon our hearts, our thoughts about God, and how we’ve seen Him working in our lives and in our circumstances. It’s a way to turn our minds and hearts to God—with purpose, with intention. It helps us to begin to see things a bit differently—to see with His eyes, to see His presence in places we’ve missed Him before. In effect, it works to increase our faith and our gratitude for the incredible things God is doing among us, every day.
Let this timely message sink deep into your heart.