1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

We who truly follow the Lord are God’s royal priesthood and holy nation! We are called to declare the praises of God who has rescued us out of darkness so that we now enjoy the freedom and life that are in God’s light! What a privilege and what a blessing! As a chosen people and as those who belong to God, we share in the rich blessings of life in Christ. And we also share in the privilege and task of bringing the life-giving message of the gospel to people and places where it has not yet been heard or received so that those who desperately need Christ can turn to him and be saved. By declaring the greatness of the person and ministry of Christ, we draw people to a liberating faith in him. Let us continue to grow in our passion for God. Let us not stop growing in our compassion for people. These will result to going out to bring help to the spiritually lost and dying. These will mean making some adjustments, first in our minds and hearts, and then, as we are called (and it is different for each individual), in our actions. For some it will mean such simple & doable but impactful things such as praying more for people far from God to be brought close to him. For others it will mean adjusting their spending patterns so they can give a little more toward the work of proclaiming the greatness of our God and his salvation to the confused, wounded, and bound. Still for others, it may mean volunteering to be involved in an outreach to lost or needy people for a few hours once a month or perhaps more frequently. Whatever the outward expression may be, we are called to love God and love people concretely. Let’s continue to enjoy our salvation through Christ. The beauty of life in Christ is unbelievably dignifying, liberating, and fulfilling. Then let’s turn to worship our God and declare his saving love to those who are yet in darkness so they can come to feast and rest as well in God’s wonderful light. God’s rich blessings on you and your family today!   Lathur Badoy