Listen to Devotion

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.

The apostle Peter says some remarkable things in our Bible reading for today. He calls followers of Jesus “chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession.”

Spend a few seconds thinking about yourself as these things. You are chosen, handpicked by God himself. You are royal, a one-time pauper before God adopted you into the royal family of the King of kings. You are holy, a person set aside by God’s grace and for God’s use. You belong to God because he purchased you with the blood of his Son. You are a person of enviable worth because of the grace of God.

However, notice that God didn’t create us as precious people just to transfer us from earth to heaven someday. God has made us priests, not to serve ourselves but to serve others. Our job description as redeemed children of God is to “declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”

The Holy Spirit has called you out of the darkness of sin into the light of forgiveness and eternal life. Now you have the privilege of praising the God who gave you this enviable worth. Praise him loudly and clearly to the world.

Thank you, Lord, for choosing me to be yours. Help me to praise you in all that I do and say this day. Amen.

Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.