“John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne; And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood, And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.” - Revelation 1:4-6
As a corrective to some bad teaching, we went through a societal emphasis on self-esteem and feeling good about ourselves.
Perhaps we went a little too far or made drew some conclusions that went beyond our healthy intentions. However, the effort to let children know they are valued is essential to them becoming all they can be.
Children with a distorted concept of themselves grow into troubled adults. Without a sense of value and worth, people disrespect themselves and tend to disrespect others. Sometimes this disrespect leads to crime or anti-social behaviors. It is self-destructive and manifests itself in unhealthy families. It is visited upon children and children’s children.
But the remedy is not found in superficial affirmations of our essential worth or in the denial of sin and darkness. It is to be found in God and His esteem for us. He loves us because of His amazing grace, tender mercy, and sovereign choice.
All of this was bestowed while we were yet sinners. He saw what we could be.
God, has called us out of darkness.
He has freed us from sin by the blood of His Son so that every impediment to who we were intended to be has been removed.
The outcome is that God’s vision of us as His people is an elevated vision. He does not look upon His children, who have received His grace, as miserable sinners.
God sees us as a kingdom of priests who serve and exalt Him. That is, in reality, who we are. All other visions of self are false and deceptive. We are kingdom people and we are priestly people with a high calling and a sanctified standing. It is by grace and it is complete.
God’s glory is manifest in His loving esteem for us.
You are kings and priests.
You are beloved.
