November 23 -The Callings of Every Believer
Peter is here giving a few hints to believers on how to live out God’s calling in their lives. The first part of God’s calling is for believers to be holy for such is God’s character. We are to be like Him and when He comes back, we must present ourselves holy and blameless. Our minds, therefore, must be ready for action, being sober-minded and obey God instead of their bodily passions. This means that we must be ready to pray to the Father who judges each one of us. The fear of God must be an essential part of our thinking and decision-making. Think faith, think hope and your soul may then be purified by your obedience to the truth.
Our second calling from God is called to love one another with a sincere brotherly love. This love comes from a pure heart, a similar DNA given to us when we are born again of the imperishable seed. The Word of God is the seed in our lives: it is living and abiding. Brotherly love is based on the Word, the way to live our lives. In order to have love for one another, believers must know the Word and practice the Word. When we all honor the Word in our lives, we may then put away all malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy and slander. If every believer is growing in the Word like newborn babies longing for the pure spiritual milk, then we may have love for the brothers.
The third calling mentioned here is the call to become priests. This is the calling to be a priestly community, each being a living stone being built up to become a spiritual house. This is a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. Jesus is the chief cornerstone and we are little living stones. Christ is the High Priest and we are little priests. The purpose of every Christian community is to serve the Lord through worship and prayer, setting up altars all over the place for God to live among us. The goal is to present Christ to the world through this chosen race, royal priesthood, holy nation and a people for God’s own possession. When others see God in us, they would want to come out of darkness into God’s marvelous light. Only when a believing community is filled with God’s presence would evangelism be effective. When believers become priests would God want to dwell among them.
This is what you are supposed to be – to be holy, to love one another and to be priests so that the world may know Jesus. Holiness, unity and prayer are the three keys to the Kingdom of God. When your community is holy, people may see God as He actually is. When the community is one in the Lord, others will become God’s disciples. When the church becomes a kingdom of priests, God will manifest Himself and bring in the Kingdom. Holiness, unity and prayer are what the Lord is looking for in believers and in the church. Are you living out your calling? Is your church living out her calling?
Ps 128:1-6 Ezek 45:13-46:24 1 Pet 1:13-2:10 Prov 28:11