1 PETER 2:9I am a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that I should show forth the praises of Him Who has called me out of darkness into His marvelous Light.
CHOSEN GENERATION
How are we chosen? By believing on The Name of The Lord Jesus Christ for my salvation. By repenting of my sins, iniquities and transgressions against The Word of God. By believing that God's Word is True and Faithful, that He fulfills His promises in His time.
We are chosen because we choose to follow Christ Jesus wherever He leads us; whether He leads us in the valleys of our lives or upon the mountains' heights. When He calls us to follow Him, we joyfully answer His call, running to meet Him, where He picks us up and holds us close to His heart. We are His sheep, His little lambs and we stay near our Shepherd.
Once we lived in the darkness of this world, too. Once we lived in rebellion, choosing to do things our way: selfishly and with only our interests at heart. But now, now we belong to God, choosing to live a life of honor and sanctification that we might be made pure and perfect in Christ. 1 Peter 2:10 "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."
ROYAL PRIESTHOOD
He has promised that they who serve Him on this side of life will not only be blessed immensely now, but also be rewarded on the other side of life.
Revelation 1:6 "And has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen."
Revelation 5:10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.Exodus 19:6 "And unto Me you shall be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' These are the words that you are to speak to the Israelites."
HOLY NATION
Deuteronomy 7:6
For you are a people holy to The LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for His prized possession out of all peoples on the face of the earth.
2 Thessalonians 2:13
But we should always thank God for you, brothers who are loved by The Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning to be saved by the sanctification of The Spirit and by faith in the truth.
We are saved by faith in The Truth of the gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ and through the sanctification of The Holy Spirit. Though the thief on the hill with Christ came to the realization that Jesus was indeed The Christ, he had just enough time left in his life to do so. By his declaration "Lord, remember me", he acknowledged Jesus to be LORD and asked that his name not be blotted out. And Jesus brought thief to paradise with him.
A holy nation also honors its God by not only hearing what He has to say, but by obeying what The Word He speaks.
PECULIAR PEOPLE
Exodus 19:5
Now therefore, if you will obey My voice indeed, and keep My covenant, then you shall be a peculiar treasure unto Me above all people: for all the earth is Mine.
Titus 2:14
He gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.
We are God's people, His church, His possession, His congregation. We are set apart from all nations by choosing to be obedient to His Word and choosing His Love and Righteousness for us above all other loves and unrighteous thinking and actions.
When someone tells us, "You're weird, strange, crazy", it's because they have noticed your differentness, your born again-ness. As we should be: different, not like everybody else. Remember the teaching song, "One of these things is not like the other"? We are not like the other. We
shine bright because our souls have been saved and
The Light of Christ now lives in us.
The salvation of Christ upon us and the purification process of sanctification through The Holy Spirit cause us to continually praise our God for this wonderful thing He has done for us and in us.
Three hundred and three times the word 'praise' occurs in The Old Testament, alone. And in those three hundred and three times the word 'praise', at varying times, indicates different ways to praise.
Yadah: to extend our arms out in front of us or lift our hands up to our Lord
Halal: to boast in The Lord
Shabach: to shout praise to The Lord
Tehillah: combination of all other words of praise to God
Towdah: sacrifice of praise - praising God in adversity
Barouch: to kneel or prostrate one's self, to bow before The Lord
Zamar: to play a musical instrument for God
