A thing no longered marred

You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.
“Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God’s people. Once you received no mercy; now you have received God’s mercy.” (2 Peter 2:9-10)

Too many of us overlook the "as a result" in this passage. Because we are chosen by God, made into a holy body of believers, we can show others the way to find grace. There are times we feel like God could never use our story or talents, but nothing is further from the truth. We all have been called to move away from darkness into the light of his grace. We may not occupy a pulpit, but we have a story to tell and it begins with grace.

Once we had no identity worth speaking of, but that all changed the moment we said yes to Jesus. What did mercy change in your life? How did God's grace make a difference in your choices? There is a message in the answers to those questions. A message you are uniquely fitted to share right there in your circle of influence. If you don't tell it, who will?

Many times we think God will use the beautiful, but I have found many a thing someone else labeled as junk and brought it back to a thing of beauty to be used in a totally different way. Maybe this is what God does with us. He takes what has been labeled as junk and remakes it by grace. Then the thing that once had a somewhat marred and stained past becomes a thing of beauty to be used anew in his hands. Perhaps we should see ourselves as he does. Just sayin!