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.
One of the most amazing aspects of Christianity are the Christians themselves. We are not born of an ancient lineage as are the Jews. We do not have tribal connections or a common heritage. We do not even have a common language. Yet God has made us into one family. More than that, we have become a royal priesthood and a holy nation.
Wherever you find God’s people they declare God’s praises. They are different. You can tell. They no longer walk in darkness. Instead, they walk in the light.
How is this possible? I don’t mean how is it possible that people around the world join churches. There are all sorts of clubs and organizations around the world that people join. Rather, the question is, “How is it possible so many diverse people find themselves radically changed by association with someone who died two thousand years ago?”
Some things are very hard to put into words. How can we express the feeling of love one has for another? How do we put into words what it means to have hope after having had none? What words can express the feeling of being touched by God?
In today’s passage, Peter sums up the condition of those who believe in Jesus: We are family. We are different because we no longer walk in the darkness of the soul, but walk in the light of God’s love. Instead of cursing God, we praise God.
Application: Remember who you are.
Food for Thought: What does it mean to be in God’s ‘’wonderful light?”
It could be to have nothing you hold dear between you and the light of god nothing casting a shadow on you, nothing you hold up high that his light cant shine through. Nothing that keeps you from staying in his wonderful light.
Sometimes someone isnt in the light and it takes the fellowship to reflect to that person to help them in dark times to keep them in the light. I keep referring to my brothers in the church being a reflection to me because I need more light to guide me in dark times or when I’m stumbling down the path.
Tim,
Thank you for sharing your insights this morning! You have real life experience with God’s light! It can be hard to describe, but it is the kind of thing that you know when you see it. 🙂
Thank you Tim. I think you are a shining example of what you talk about. You shine God’s light brightly and the change in you glorifies the Lord. I had to smile yesterday when someone Facebook messaged the church because a flower on their windshield at church made their day.
I think that to be in God’s light means to be walking with Jesus in a life changing manner that illuminates our steps and has us stand out as a holy people. John 8: 12; Matthew 5: 14 – 16. Much like what Tim describes.
Rich,
Thank you for your words today. I especially like your reference to Jesus illuminating our steps. We “see” things we didn’t see before. I have a special UV flashlight that is used for illuminating things we cannot normally see. It is an invisible light that makes the unseen seen.
My newest excuse for my actions needs to be that he made me do it because it is the truth. He is a amazing God.
What does it mean to be in God’s ‘’wonderful light?”
Imagine walking in a forest on a cloudy night. It’s midnight you have no flashlight, there is no moon. Then change to a beautiful warm sunny day. Stop and sit down for a moment, watch and listen as the forest comes to life. Look around at Gods creation and you begin to get a glimpse of what it is like to live in God’s Wonderful Light.
My wife and I were on holiday in Oregon. One afternoon, we climbed a pretty high and “very steep” lava flow overlooking a lake. We actually had to stop a couple times, to catch our breath. When we got to the top we were in awe. We were looking down onto beautiful forest in every direction, the beautiful blue lake, and green mountains miles away could never be duplicated. We quietly stood at this viewpoint, and I said to my wife, “This is what our God does for fun.” A few moments later, I heard a loud YES! I turned around and their were 6-8 people standing behind us, smiling. It was a wonderful rare moment of believers hearts being joined by God.
Walking in Gods light is a step by step walk in faith. Our will must be aligned with God’s will and this it beyond all human strength. We must separate ourselves from old ways, spend time in Church, with other christians, prayer, studying Gods word. As we become more sensitive to the Holy Spirit, He will reveal our sins and provide the power to overcome our old ways in the priority set by God. At first we may be a little apprehensive as we take steps of faith into the unknown, but this goes away. More and more we will grow in hatred for our sins as ridding ourselves of these becomes a high priority. Jesus will move into the empty spots in our lives and in His power we begin to experience changes decisions, priorities.
Our relationship with God will rightfully become the most important relationship in our lives. Living for God, brings us closer to God. We learn He is Holy and will not allow any contaminating contact with sin. Our desire to please God grows, and we choose to allow the the Lord more control in our lives as we are being transformed into the image of His Son.
At some point we realize we are walking in obedience to Gods will because that is where we are happy. People will say “oh you’re such a good christian”, We have to reply, “no I’m just happiest when I am doing His will.” And that is a fact. We do not obey God in our own strength, but in our weakness as we receive the blessings of living in His will. Someday I will be fully sanctified and blessed beyond all imagination as I dwell with Him forever.
Ron,
Thank you for sharing this beautiful story!
Brother Jeff,
Thank you for the great questions!
How can we express the feeling of love one has for another?
How do we put into words what it means to have hope after having had none?
What words can express the feeling of being touched by God?
👍🏻