Day Seventeen: Peculiar

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful 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. Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us. 1 Peter 2:9-12


I learned this verse when I was a kid. In the version I learned it in, KJV, it uses the word peculiar. I like that word because it in our language, it also means weird. And like we've already established, fasting is weird. In this case though it means a possession. A people who belong to God alone. Don't you love being a part of a great big weird family that belongs to God? I've been amused by the complete randomness of the people who God has called to participate in this fast. We once were not a people, but now we are the people of God. So wonderful!


Another adjective for us that I like in this passage is holy. I think most people don't really have a good handle on what holy actually means. We usually use it in conjunction with Spirit or other mystical sounding things. But holy really just means set apart for a special purpose. For these 21 days, we have set ourselves apart for the special purpose of serving God by fasting. We have been hand-selected to worship Him in this way. I like to picture the word holy as that one flawless strawberry I choose to go on top of something as a garnish. 


But then think of your role as a priest too. The one who was chosen to go stand before God. To speak to Him and to devote his whole life to serving in God in His house. I'd like us to really meditate on what kind of priest God really wants us to be. Not just a 21 day a year priest, but one who keeps himself pure, devotes his full attention to serving God, and is called upon to be a mediator between God and those we love that are lost in sin. Our High Priest, Jesus Christ, has modeled for us how to serve God this selflessly.


Anyway, today I will pray that we stand together as one big family. Chosen to show the world who He is. Walking out of darkness into His marvelous light. As aliens and strangers in this world. Set apart for His special purpose.