Making the Most of Every Opportunity

I was reading 1 Peter 2 and made a connection on how we live out our role as a church to proclaim His excellencies that has challenged my thinking. 1) In vs. 9 it says who we are In Christ : a chosen race, royal priesthood, holy nation, a people for His own possession. I've written some thoughts on that before in these posts: All In Him Together 1 , and Together But Separate 2 , but today I was thinking more of how it ties into the rest of the passage... 2) What's the purpose of our role in Him? To Proclaim the excellencies of Him who called us out of darkness into His excellent light. To show the mercy we've received (vs. 9-10) 3) But HOW do we proclaim His excellencies ? This is what has challenged me! First, Peter continues the theme of being pure and fighting against sin (11-12) that he set in Chapter 1 and early in Chapter 2. Then the rest of the passage (and really book) is about submitting in suffering. The servant is challenged to be subject in ALL respects...

God is showing me how we are called to live Him out together. Read more here . Yet that call is for us to be separate. We should look different from the culture around us. In the foreword to Crazy Love, Chris Tomlin wrote, "What I find interesting is that the Christians [in Acts 11:26] didn't name themselves. But rather, they were called (or named) "Christians" by those watching their lives. I wonder if it would be the same today. Could someone look at your life or look at my life and name me a Christian?" I have been chewing on that quote. God has been teaching us (and so many others we are hearing from) that we (Andy and I) have not lived differently from those around us. We've given, but are we willing to sacrifice for others? We want to share Him with all but have we sought our own reputation/acceptance in the process? We desire to love each other as He loves us, but do we lay down our lives daily to lift each other towards Him? Painfully, Andy and I s...

"As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious   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...  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." I read this Scripture on a facebook status and it just jumped out at me that priesthood, nation, and people are ALL plural . It's not an individual identity described here. I've struggled as God seems to show us a lot in this past year how we (Andy and I) aren't living out His Word fully. We've been missing Him. So we've gone to others and shared openly as we struggle. It's not easy to confess our selfish lifestyle to others, but we know it's healing and good. I'm reminded in...