Thursday, March 25, 2010

Built up for Service

I Peter 2:5 says 'you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.' How awesome is our God! To grow each of us into His chosen ones to go to Him one on one, so that we can grow in Him and serve Him as priests, giving our lives as sacrifices to His will, to His work and His passions and not our own dreams, wants or desires. Thank Lord you are good.

Monday, March 15, 2010

Living For Our God As His Royal Priests: Overcoming The

Living For Our God As His Royal Priests: Overcoming The Flesh And Its Desires.

We forget why we are here on earth, we think, and act like this is our home. We act and think as if we need things to help us be happy, to be safe, to provide for our future. We forget that we are Christ followers who treasure Him over all things because God caused us to be born again -I Peter 1:3-12.

So then, we are to act as if we are exiles and sojourners here on earth by abstaining from the passions that go to war with in us every day, passions of the flesh. We are to be different and to live so all well glorify God on the day He comes back -I Peter 2:11-12. This is not an option but a command if ‘we are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, and a holy nation, a people for His own possession’ at Peter tells us in I Peter chapter 2 verse 9 and he goes on to say that our duty is ‘to proclaim the excellencies of Him Who called you out of darkness into His marvelous Light’.

To do this we must never forget to put away to crucify the passions of the flesh –I Peter 2:1 Gal. 5:24. How can we do this take a look at I Peter 2. First we also must long for the pure Gospel the Bible the Word of God so by His Word we may grow in our salvation it is the only way to grow in Christ is by the Bible taking it in context and learning truth for yourself. Third we must go to Him, longing for Him is great only if you put to action what you want and go to the Bible open it and start reading it like a baby craves milk good pure milk. We all must go to the Word daily several times a day to feed on God’s Word the Bible then we will be able to put away all fleshly passions and we will have a longing for more. And finally we are to be a royal priesthood offering our body’s to God as spiritual sacrifices, staying away from the things that naturally draws us and turning to the Word of God and knowing God’s will from the Word daily. We are to live for Him because all that believe in Him those He has caused to be born again, we are no longer our won but we are His people made new to follow and server Him by declaring with our lips and showing with our lives that He is more precious then anything on this earth. Lets never for get this world is not our home.
-I Peter 2:1-12
2:1 So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. 2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— 3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.
4 As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For it stands in Scripture:
“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone,a cornerstone chosen and precious,and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”
7 So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe,
“The stone that the builders rejectedhas become the cornerstone,”
8 and
“A stone of stumbling,and a rock of offense.”
They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.
9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
11 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. 12 Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.
-I Peter 2:1-12