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 marvelous light. Once, you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once, you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 1 Peter 2:9-10
A Chosen People
A Royal Priesthood
A Holy Nation
God's Special Possession
Those are dynamite proclamations and callings for those who are a part of God's family.
We have received mercy to declare God's praises!
I wandered a few years after coming to Christ, trying to figure out "ministry."
Growing up in the Methodist denomination, it was my understanding that only one minister existed.
I wondered what my role was supposed to be since the minister had the full-time job of ministering.
So I asked Abba Father to reveal His truth, and He did through a unique experience.
I served on a renewal weekend that featured several talks.
One of the talks was "The Ministry of All Believers," which was based on the scriptures of 1 Peter Chapter Two.
It was one of the most exciting revelations of my walk with Christ.
All believers of Jesus Christ are called and privileged to declare the praises of God as His ministers!
WARNING
Being His minister is our calling, but it is not our identity.
Our identity is His beloved.
And too often, we are deceived into basing our value on how we are doing or how the ministry is going.
Remember, your ministry flows from your identity; your identity doesn’t come from your ministry.
So what does ministry look like?
Ministry is whoever you are with. Always.
How have you seen God working through your everyday life to minister to others?
How would you explain the difference between your identity and the roles you fulfill?
Lord, how excellent to have the privilege of sharing You with this world! May we realize how uniquely you have created us and planted us in our environments to be a fragrance of Your love to all we see. Amen