PROCLAIMING HIS EXCELLENCIES

Declaring or proclaiming God's excellencies is the main reason for our calling in Christ. Peter mentioned that this is an honour for those who believe in Christ Jesus. God has rescued us from the power of sin and death, through His death and resurrection power. But it wasn't just about a rescue, He also transferred us into His marvellous light.

Reference: 1 Peter 2:9 English Standard Version (ESV) "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 marvellous light."

Darkness is the enemy of light. It is the pit of hopelessness. Every person in the world who is not yet saved or born again belongs to it. It is a real kingdom, but its spiritual because it reigns in the hearts of men who are outside Christ. It is real because its hegemony or dominance is evident in the outward expression of those who function under its reign but it doesn't have a political or geographical location. Those who are under the domain of darkness are those who have let Satan gain mastery or have dominion over their lives. So they give expression to the effects, description and characters of satanic and evil desires and they live by worldly customs.

In our opening Scripture, Peter noted that God has called us out of the shackles of darkness. But He didn't leave us baseless or stranded. It's one thing to deliver someone from a pit, and its another thing to place them in a better place, or in a higher plane of life. For instance, a hopeless person who has fallen into a pit, waiting to be delivered from it, can actually get a help from a passer-by, but there is no guarantee that the passer-by will take the hopeless to a better place.

Beloved, our God is awesome. He is not a passer-by. He is committed to making sure that every lost soul is delivered and planted into His wonderful, marvellous light. The Bible says, "For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son" (Colossians 1:13 NLT). You are God's project but you are not a haphazard project, as long as God is concerned. God has a perfect plan for your life and He perfects all concerning you because you belong to His Kingdom of marvellous light. Though Christ's kingdom is in this world now, yet it is the kingdom of Heaven and so its not of this world. It reigns in the hearts of born again Christians, just like the kingdom of darkness does in the hearts of unbelievers. This is why our hearts and affections are not for the things of this world but are fixed on the heavenly realms.

To be transferred into His marvellous light means that your destiny is not limited to this life, because you have eternal hope in Christ Jesus. You have secured a life beyond the time realm, which is eternal life in heavenly glory with Christ. In other words, Christ is the realm of eternal hope and you function in this glorious realm now. 1 Corinthians 15:19 (NLT) reads, "And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world." But thank God, our hope in Christ is eternal.

What a distinguished honour for us to acknowledge the timeless truth that we are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession, designed to proclaim His excellencies. In this context, His excellencies denote divine supremacy, eminence or primeness; its an esteemed way of addressing the prominence or superiority of the Divine. So we are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own possession, specially handpicked to proclaim or publicly announce His eminence, prominence and sovereignty. Simply put, we are called to promote His prestige and celebrity in this present world. Shalom!

Scripture Reading - Exodus 19:5-6; Deuteronomy 7:6; Isaiah 43:21; 1 Samuel 12:22; Isaiah 61:6.

Exuberant Declaration: I am a chosen race, a royal priesthood and a holy nation called to demonstrate and live in the power, victory and dominion of Christ. It is my custom and nature to dominantly manifest the light and excellencies of Christ in my daily conduct and in my world. Blessed be God!