You are Special, Chosen, called, Blessed, Anointed, Empowered

UV 4260/10000 You are Special, Chosen, Called, Blessed, Anointed, Empowered But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a consecrated nation, a ( special) people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies ( the wonderful deeds and virtues and perfections) of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvellous light. I Peter 2 v 9 We are chosen out of the human race to be saved by grace, to live by faith, to experience the hope of eternal life in Christ. To the world that disbelieves Jesus is the stumbling stone that makes them fall, to us who believe He is the cornerstone of our lives. The cornerstone on whom we rise as a man who is called out by name by God, His Son Jesus to whom all power and authority is given and thereby, comes out of intense darkness, who rises from the oblivion of death like Lazarus from his cave grave. This makes us a special people, a signet ring on the finger of God to execute His will on earth as He does in heaven with angels. We are the very sceptre of authority of Jesus when we speak the word in faith to command healing, deliverance, breakthroughs for people who are lost and suffering. We are chosen to share in His suffering as well as in His inheritance as primus genitor, the first heir or son. We are chosen to live like Him and enter into His eternal kingdom. Having been chosen by God, we proclaim His praises, genuine praises that come not from shallow lips but from the heart as we have ourselves experienced His salvation in many and different ways even on earth, even in this lifetime. We are both kings and priests in His eyes. As kings, we lead the people from darkness into His light, we wage warfare, we administer, rule on His behalf as His viceroys on earth. As priests, we humble ourselves before Him to serve Him, to worship Him, to praise and thank Him, to counsel unto wisdom and share the fruit of our lips for the salvation of many. Hence, our leadership style combines both authority and power and humility and service. We lead like lions like Jesus and live and serve like lambs and sheep. We become masters of the metaphor and the paradox. We are drawn from all nations and races and yet become one race, one nation, one people under God, always striving to obey Him in the spirit and not the letter, in faith and not to appease to obtain divine favour. We are called out of the darkness to live in His marvellous light. We should no longer return to the darkness or follow the ways of darkness, the ways that we followed when we were not His followers. We submit and obey Him not out of an outward fear or respect but out of an inner reverence, awe, love and respect. We are consecrated like priests of old, set apart like soldiers from the civilian population, separated from darkness, separated from our own former selves. We burn our sinful bridges behind us to walk boldly confidently close to Jesus. He is our bridge to our inner self, our true self, our better self, to our future, our hope and eternity. We claim His promises, proclaim His goodness, His glory, His love to the people, yet unsaved, yet dwelling and revelling in darkness. We proclaim it not just with our words but with our thoughts, emotions, our actions and reactions. We are a peculiar people who live not according to the standards of this world but we conform to the standards of the one who called us.