“[Jesus] has made us a Kingdom of priests for God his Father” Rev. 1:6 (NLT) Way back in Exodus 19:6 God tells the Jews that they “shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (ESV). I Peter 2:9 says believers are “a royal priesthood.” This is an incredible dignity. One of the key principles of the Reformation was that all believers were priests, as these Scriptures state. As priests we are all directly serving God in Christ, we have no need of human intermediaries for a direct relationship with God.
We are elevated to a high position of dignity, higher than any earthly office, higher than any President or Prime Minister. We are also God’s kingdom, his nation, we belong to him which is a greater honor than belonging to any other nation or group of people.
God wants to give us glory that is greater than any earthly glory. Consider just a few of the passages about this (ESV):
• In I Thessalonians 2:12 God calls us “…into his own kingdom and glory.”
• In I Peter 5:10 God has called us “…to his eternal glory in Christ…”
• In II Peter 1:3 God has “called us to his own glory and excellence…”
So we are encouraged that we have the highest dignity regardless of our status on this earth and regardless of what we sometimes think of ourselves. As we focus on this honor from God we can be free from anxiety or dejection about the honors of this world.
How much do you think of yourself as having great glory from God? Can you let that encourage you?
