Be a Priest

Luke 1:8-10 Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, 9 he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the LORD and burn incense. 10 And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside.
 
ZECHARIAH is a priest in Israel. Zechariah and his division are on duty at the temple in Jerusalem for one week a year. The priests used the lot, a Spirit-guided process of discerning whom God is choosing for his work. God had commanded Israel to distribute the land by lot (Numbers 26 and 34). Our LORD’s purpose was to guarantee an equitable distribution of the land. God had long before chosen Zechariah to go into God’s presence. There he would burn incense and offer prayers for his people. To be so close to God should cause one to quickly bow down in fear and reverence. God had ordained Zechariah to this position on that day, and he obeyed.
    Do you know God has ordained you to be a priest? The apostle John writes to the early church this stunning description of Jesus’ transforming power: Revelation 1:4-8 John,To the seven churches in the province of Asia: Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne,  5 and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, 6 and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father – to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.
    What does it mean to be a priest to serve God in Jesus’ church? Here are some thoughts: The Old Testament priests offered animal and crop sacrifices. We do not offer these, but we are to offer our lives as living sacrifices to Christ. We must sacrifice our desires, to instead, put him first in our lives. We sacrifice and offer our time and gifts to strengthen Jesus’ church. We sacrifice money to give to God for his purposes. We may be called to give space in our home to welcome strangers, give food to feed the unknown, offer clothes to cover the naked, and speak words to comfort the afflicted.
    Perhaps most of all, our priestly duty as a Christian is to intercede in prayer for all. We pray for our pastors, our church, our neighbors, our family, our nation, our leaders and our world. A priest in Christ models Jesus, who is our great High Priest (See Hebrews 7.)
    Zechariah dutifully honored God with his body, faithful to his “lot in life”, the privilege of serving God. He met with God and prayed for the nation. Will you submit to God and be dutiful to be a priest of the New Covenant?  
 
Prayer: Oh, thank you, Father for choosing me to be yours. Grant to me a holy reverence for my role as a priest for you. In Jesus’ name, amen.