The Calling

UV 2228/10000 The High Calling
But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

1 Peter 2 v 9

This uni-verse speaks about how God positions us in this generation, in our sphere of influence, in our nation and against the rest of humanity. The word belief comes from two roots: be and lief. lief means kingdom. We become citizens of the kingdom of God by belief. We align our hearts with God. We are ruled by Him and led by Him. Once we believe, the totality of our existence is governed by the Lord. We are to be with Him. We align our thoughts, words and actions with God. The disciples who were chosen by Jesus were transformed by just being with Him. Believers are the chosen out of every generation. We are chosen by Jesus to be His followers as none of the disciples followed Him of their own choosing but He asked them to leave their professions to be with Him. The fact that we are chosen in accordance with God’s sovereign will and plan does not make us an elite or select few but we are the humble elect of God since we know that nothing we did or said ever qualified us to be so chosen but that it is the pure grace of the Lord. Having been chosen, we have a responsibility to the Lord. Having been chosen we have a special purpose. Having been chosen, we are are His possession, His inheritance. Having been chosen, we have a calling to be priests and kings. When we are with Him, we become pure and pious like priests and strong and powerful like kings. As priests we are to represent our generation before the Lord. We are to intercede for our generation. We are set apart from the rest of the nation for that purpose. We are a people who are a peculiar treasure of the Lord.

The expression “royal priesthood” implies that we are to reflect in our lives as believers a perfect blend of humility and authority. Our purpose as kings and priests is to declare the praises of the Lord God. He is the One who called us out of the darkness of ignorance, sin and folly into the awesome light of His knowledge, presence, His wisdom, grace and glory. As kings we speak with authority about the Trinity. As priests we speak with the meekness and gentleness of the Holy Spirit. As kings we wage spiritual warfare and destroy the strongholds of the enemy of our souls, who holds all mankind a prisoner to sin, death, pain and shame. As kings, we are full of the power of God. We set free the prisoners of darkness. As priests we plead with the Lord. As kings, we are zealous for good works that bring praise to the Father in heaven. As priests we are aware that our good deeds are but dirty rags in comparison with His absolute glory. As both priests and kings we are to be the veritable praise of God. As kings and priests, we represent God on earth. At no point, however, should we allow the high esteem that the Lord holds His children in to turn into either arrogance, self righteousness, a sense of entitlement or complacency. The highness of spirit of the king is to be balanced and offset by the lowliness of mind of the priest.

People will find it odd that we do not conform to the world’s patterns for we are called to conform to the good, righteous and truthful patterns indicated in the Word. Formerly, like the rest of the world, we were children of darkness, death and sin. Now, we are set free. We are children of the light, children of the Daystar. We have a sense of where we are heading and who is leading us. We are no longer under the shadow of death and sin but under the shadow or influence and power of the Almighty. We no longer live in fear and guilt but we live by faith and grace.

Prateep V Philip