Daily Devotional April 26 - Are You A Peculiar person?

"But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvellous light:" 1 Peter 2:9

Most of the time when people are talking about this verse, they mention the part about Christians being 'peculiar' people, almost always in jest. We should be a peculiar people, but not in the way that we are profiled by the world. Here's how I see it:

You are a chosen generation

• Every generation of men and women has been chosen for service in God's Kingdom, not everyone accepts the invitation
• Because God knew ahead of time who would choose to accept and who would reject His invitation, it appears that the blessings of God are only for His chosen generation and that's right, but anyone could have been a part of God's great gift.

You are a royal priesthood

• God made you a kingdom of priests by ordaining believers into ministry.
• The reason you are a royal priesthood is because you are priests of the King of Kings

You are an holy nation

• Our nation awaits you. You will be with the King after the rapture as a nation of people with God as your Father and Sovereign King.

You are a peculiar people

• Because you give to others without any expectation of return
• Because you pray for the sick and play an active role in co-creating with God
• Because you abide by the laws of our nation in order to give God the glory
• Because you do not lie
• Because you have integrity at home, in business and in all of your dealings
• Because you do not follow the trends of the world
• Because you read our Bible and meditate on it and follow its instructions
• Because you have a risen Savior, one who is alive and active in your daily life
• Because you gather together in church with others who are imperfect like yourself in order to honor God with your attendance
• Because you love one another in a way that just can't be explained
• Because you have forgiven and will continue to forgive those who have hurt you
• Because you bless those who have persecuted you
• Because you pray positively for those have have misused you or betrayed you
• Because you have become fools for Christ and you follow His teachings even if it is going against the tide
• Because you believe in miracles that are orchestrated and performed by a loving and faithful God
• Because you believe that angels are going about working on your behalf as directed by the Holy Spirit
• Because you believe that the devil and his demonic forces are real and they are intent on destroying you or your relationship with God
• Because you believe in heaven as a real place where you will become residents
• Because you believe in hell as a real place where those who do not accept God's free gift of salvation will take permanent residence

I hope this is what you were thinking of concerning what peculiar means.