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A great friend and mentor of mine wrote this. It is very powerful and should challenge us to live as Kings AND Priests.
Kings and Priests, by Micah Paxton
The Bible tells us in Heb 5:6 that Jesus was “called a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek”. There are several references to Melchizedek in the NT and the story of him in the OT. He was unique in all of the Bible that not only was he a priest but he was also a King.
Because Jesus was called after the order of Melchizedek, we who are “joint-heirs” (literally heir to the same things) Rom 8:17, are in turn called to the same order….1 Pet 2:9 says that we are “a royal priesthood” not just priests and not just royalty.
Rev 1:5-6 says that Jesus’ blood “washed us from our sins AND made us kings and priests”
Rev 5:10 reinforces this “and having made us kings and priests to our God”
Gal 4:5-6 talks about our adoption into Him and culminates in one of the most wonderful verses “therefore you are no longer a slave but a SON, and if a SON, then an HEIR of God through Christ”!
in summation we, through Christ are part of the unique group…not only called to priests but are also called to be kings! Sons of the Most High God and all the responsibilities and privileges that go with it. As kings we are called to reach out to those around us and serve them and help them realize the destiny and calling in their lives! As priests we are called to minister and worship the one true God who was slain before the foundations of the world out of His love for us and His desire to provide a way that we might have eternal relationship and fellowship with Him!
Hope this helps you see the awesomeness that is in you and the responsibility that we have to help our brothers and sisters see their birthright!
I’m not the author of this but it’s too good not to share. Enjoy….
It’s hard to believe it’s November – Wow… the year has flown by… Weird to think about. It’s odd cause I have a constant flow of thoughts that flash through my head when I think about what time of the year it is. Thoughts like, “I need to do “this” before Christmas” – “This should have been done in August.” “What happened to the previous 10 months?” – “Are you planning ahead?” – “What did you learn from the past?” – Random things like that… Thoughts that are like a pendulum if you will, where my mind wrestles with the past and future constantly, yet barely realizes the present moments at hand. Perhaps I am alone in feeling these things? I’ve never really asked anyone about it… ha. It feels as though I’m moving so fast through life – and I know I’m missing out on all these amazing moments… And I’m rarely captivated by the small things in life anymore.
Recently, I’ve been doing this weird thing – We’re I’m trying to learn how to embrace every moment… Trying to train my over-analytical mind, and my visionary mindset to focus on the here and now. “I came to give life, and give it to the Fullest.” He says. – But I feel like much of my life, Is spent recalling the past, or conjuring up the future in my head. What about the here and now? What If we could teach ourselves to slow down, just for a moment – not worry about tomorrow, or the day before, or even what’s for dinner in an hour. But rather sit back, and realize life as it is now… As it’s unfolding before us, in this very moment.
So How does it work? – I stop… I stop everything- And I focus on the moment, the memory being created… The smells, the tastes, the feelings in the room, the life in the eyes of those around me. The anticipation of the conversations I’m having, the peoples hearts in the rooms… Learning to fully give my attention – Rather than wait for them to finish talking, so I can speak. It’s a captivating thing to hear someones heart, and how they view the world… and to do so with pure motives, just to be there, and be fully engaged in their heart as it’s being unfolded. We’re all so different… And it’s so amazing to me… And so I’m learning to embrace moments, learning to focus on details, and learning to make my heart attentive to the small things. To simply think about the moment I’m in – the taste in that last drink of coffee, the sigh of relief when I’m pausing for a moment to regroup my thoughts, or find my heart, and let it speak out… Or to just listen as my brother bares his soul, and expects nothing but a listening ear in return… And I ask myself continually – Is my ear listening, or is my heart listening? Whether it’s good or bad… It’s all beautiful, cause it’s real…
I’m learning to embrace these so called “moments of life” – Rather than Seasons of Life – What about my friends? They are all so amazing… I have sat with them for years, had countless deep talks, and of course we’ve laughed a lot. But if I step back – I become enamored by their personalities – Drawn in by their beautiful hearts, and captivated by their words. What a blessing. I think to myself… to sit among kings and queens, leaders who love, and are learning to love.. And I think to myself. “We’re doing it. We’re living life together!” We’re developing relationships with people who we love, and value, and honor. What a beautiful thing – I find myself so captivated by people, so in love with their hearts. We’re so different, and that’s so amazing. Everyone has their own quirks, their own gifts, and their own issues, and they’re all… Well… They’re all amazing. Cause it’s reality. I love them all. I think I embrace them as a whole – cause they embrace all of me as well. And that’s beautiful… It’s intimacy… It’s honesty… It’s reality… I don’t know how to describe it. But something comes alive inside of me – When I’m simply “Doing life” with people. I’ve done it for years… But have I truly been living to the greatest possible measure? I don’t know… Maybe not? Maybe I’m learning something deeper?
I guess it’s all apart of the journey… The journey of learning how to Live…
Is it possible to get enough of God?
Is it possible to get too much of God?
I would say a resounding NO to both of these questions. If we can’t ever get enough of God then the question becomes “how do we get more of God”? There is always more of His character to discover. More of His love to experience. More of his power to be used for His purposes. More, more, more…
What measures are people willing to take when they want more of something? Are they willing to change priorities? Are they willing to give up anything? Are they willing to lose friends or even family? Am I willing? Are you willing?
I know that we can’t get too much of God. I’ve never seen anyone or heard of anyone that had too much of God. If that is the case then why don’t we seek more of Him? He wants to give us more of Himself. When we get more of God, we get more of everything we are needing spiritually.
I’m not satisfied. I want more. How can we be satisfied with the amount of intimacy, knowledge, power, or love of God we have or experience? He always leaves me wanting more. Not because he can’t fill me, but because when you taste of God and see how good He is, you simply just can’t get enough. Every encounter with God only causes us to thirst and hunger for Him more.
Maybe the problem isn’t actually even “getting” enough of God. Maybe the problem is that we don’t actually “give” enough of ourselves to Him? Maybe we are holding back. I know I hold back. I don’t want to hold anything back but I know that when i’m honest with myself, I’m holding back. The pursuit of happiness instead of the pursuit of God. The pursuit of success instead of the pursuit of Jesus. The pursuit of “approval” instead of the pursuit of the Holy Spirit. That is just a few things that I know get in the way sometimes.
The problem with this is that when I read the scriptures I see men and women fully surrendered to God and my desire for that “lifestyle” intensifies. I see men and women completely dependent upon the Holy Spirit and they display a life that I want. I want more. It’s not enough to talk about it. It’s not enough to go through the motions. It’s not enough to do things the same way they’ve always been done with no reason except that it’s just the way it’s always been done!
When i’m hungry or thirsty, I begin to make plans to fill those desires. Some of my plans change. Meetings get moved around. My hunger or thirst drives my schedule. I have a serious hunger and thirst for God. His power, His love, His grace, His mercy, I could go on and on. Am I making plans to fill those desires? Or am I afraid of being inconvenienced or even embarrassed for being an “extreme” christian. I say we give God everything, every part of ourselves, everything. The rewards are great. The reward is our Father. His son, Jesus. And His Holy Spirit.
Give Him more….
Give me more…
Jeff Burnett *fightforgrace*
