Today's Verse: 1 Peter 2:10

Saturday, November 2, 2002

Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
— 1 Peter 2:10

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

Excluded. Rejected. Discarded. Abandoned. Forgotten. Pushed aside. Not picked. Each of these describes an aspect of feeling like you are a nobody. Satan gives our sinful flesh the tools and the opportunities to speak these words of self-condemnation to ourselves. God, however, has extended us his mercy and grace. ”But now…” - two of the greatest words in the Bible - God has loved us in Christ, and brought us into his family and gave us a purpose. We are now part of the people of God! We have been chosen for the victorious team of teams. We have received mercy! Grace has washed over us and the love of God has adopted us in his family. Peter is giving maligned and persecuted people the reminder that they can choose to see themselves as "nobodies" or they can choose to see themselves by their new identity. Thankfully, Peter's words speak to our hearts, too. You, dear friend in Jesus, are God's child. You are part of his eternal and conquering people - like Moses, Esther, Paul, and Mary Magdalene. Mercy has reversed the power of sin and failure and put grace in place empowered by the Holy Spirit's presence in you. So don't live today as you once "were": live today as you are in Jesus!

My Prayer...

O Father of Mercy and God of all grace, thank you for making me new - your child, part of your people, and a purpose put in the world around me on purpose. Please help me hear your description of me and not Satan's. Please help me define my identity by your words and not my own words of self-condemnation. I thank you for who I am and that I a no longer bound by what I once was. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

Have thoughts on this devotional? Leave a comment

20 Related Resources by Heartlight

Chosen People
Devo: Together in Christ
"But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God's very own possession. As a result, you can show..."
Reflecting the Goodness of God
Devo: Together in Christ
"[People] stumble because they do not obey God's word, and so they meet the fate that was planned for them. But you are not like that, for you are..."
Be Holy!
Devo: A Year with Jesus
"Dear Holy One, You are a saint! The term means "holy one." That is what you are because of your redemption purchased with My blood. I have made you a..."
Using Our Freedom Redemptively
Virtual Worship by Demetrius Collins & Phil Ware
In our broken world where people say and do hostile things against us, we choose to use our freedom to serve them in love. Demetrius Collins and Phil Ware lead us in an online worship through words and music using YouTube videos to remind us we are free in Christ from bondage to sin, death, satan, hell, purposelessness, loneliness, so we can use our freedom to serve and liber
See All 20 Related Resources about 1 Peter 2:10

Illustration

Illustration of 1 Peter 2:10 — Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Other Devotionals from Heartlight for Saturday, November 2, 2002

Daily Wisdom
A daily devotional featuring wise counsel found in Scripture.
Psalm 100:3
"Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture."
Quotemeal
A daily dose of Christian quotes to inspire and encourage.
Quote by Thomas à Kempis:
"The noble love of Jesus impels a man to do great things, and stirs him up to be always longing for what is more perfect."
God's Holy Fire
A daily devotional about the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
'Who Was I to Stand in God's Way?' (Ac. 11:15-17)
""As I began to speak," Peter continued, "the Holy Spirit fell on [Cornelius and his household], just as he fell on us at the beginning. Then I thought of the..."
Unstoppable!
A one-year devotional guide through the book of Acts.
'Preparing to Receive the Lord'
"[Cornelius' messengers and Peter] arrived in Caesarea the following day. Cornelius was waiting for them and had called together his relatives and..."

About This Devotional

Today's Verse is a free daily devotional that includes a Bible verse, thought and prayer.

The Thoughts and Prayer on Today's Verse are written by Phil Ware.

All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.

More Today's Verse