I was watching a movie the other night and the whole thing was about a lady who was supposedly “possessed” by a spirit. As far as I could see she wasn’t possessed with the spirit of “acting.” It was very humorous how this whole possessed thing was portrayed and I turned it off after awhile because it was insulting even my intelligence. But the possessed issue is a real and relevant issue in the Bible. In 1 Peter 2:9 Peter says, “You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a Holy nation, a people for God’s own possession.” God possesses us and it gives us the privilege of proclaiming who He is with real credibility. Why? Because we were in darkness and we have been called out of that darkness into His light. And not just light, but His marvelous light. As a chosen race, we are set aside as a people who are very distinct in our makeup. Part of that distinction is the fact that we have been saved from the penalty of sin and saved to eternal life in heaven. That’s a pretty heavy distinction if you ask me. Another part of that distinction is that we are communal in the way we function with others of the same lifestyle. We have something called fellowship that we long for, use for strength, and plan for interaction with each other. We also like to help each other without expecting anything in return. Another distinction is we believe that moving ahead is better than dwelling on the past, so we constantly come up with ways to sharpen our lives and skills to be able to serve God more effectively. Another distinction is we worship God together in unity, even though we come from diverse backgrounds. There are many other distinctions that I could mention, but suffice it to say, we are a race of sorts. Not a race due to an ethnic foundation, but a spiritual foundation. In verse 10 Peter cranks down this reasoning by saying, “for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” Are you getting the picture here? It’s a picture of a living, breathing human being not having any identity without Christ, but having a most excellent identity with Him. This is further emphasized by Jesus in John 6:63 where He says, “It is the Spirit who gives life, the flesh profits nothing, the words I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.” From time to time we as Christians will say, “I am nothing without Christ” and guess what, we are right!
We are possessed by God Almighty and as His possession we have the keys to the kingdom and the kingdom is for us. We have all this possible through a mercy that was not always available, but through Jesus it is now. The One who is possessing is taking care of the one who is confessing. Now that’s mercy. Here is something to think about. Israel is a favored nation and a race of people God blesses through their physical birthright. We are a chosen race of people who are favored because of our spiritual birthright. When we pray for God’s blessings we know that He is listening because He wants to bless us. We are His possession and His prize and the price He paid for our salvation proves His care is for our best in every situation.
Here is the result of knowing how much God values us. We want to serve Him with every part of our life. We want to know more about Him. We want to receive those blessings He promises us. We value the relationship we have with Him. We honor Him who possesses us. This value can take a person who doesn’t feel like they don’t have any purpose in life and give them a fresh, new outlook, and a new direction. I write about the abundant life a lot, and this is the very foundation for that abundant life. That abundance comes from God’s overwhelming love for us, and His unique way of keeping up with His possession.
I don’t need acting lessons to show what possession looks like in my life. All I need to do is live my life in the realization that I am in God’s possession and He is taking care of me all along the way.
The Pilgrimage continues….
David Warren