Enjoying Our Priesthood
Ministry isn’t limited to pulpits—it flows through aprons, garden gloves, and everyday moments where His life meets another’s need.
In today’s devotional, Ray Stedman unfolds the tenderness and loving authority in God’s words to Israel—a God who doesn’t merely command, but redeems, sanctifies, and draws near. God reminds His people that He brought them out of bondage not just to set them free, but to be their God—intimately present, actively forming them into whole, radiant image-bearers. Stedman highlights that God doesn’t seek busy religious performance. He desires restored hearts, healed blemishes, and yielded vessels through which His life can flow.
This kind of priesthood isn’t confined to ministry positions or church buildings. It’s lived out in the ordinary rhythms of life: washing dishes, working in the yard, spading soil, speaking a kind word. As we let Him live through us in these hidden places, He makes our priesthood rich and fulfilling. He enlarges our borders—not necessarily with accolades or visibility, but with a deepening sense of worth, joy, and influence, all rooted in simply being His. When our hearts are yielded and our blemishes brought under the finished work of the Cross, our ministry flows from His life within us, not from effort. And we find ourselves not striving to impact lives but watching Him do it through us.
Personalized Journal Entry in the Holy Spirit’s Voice Through Scripture
I have set you apart for Myself. You are holy because I have made you holy. I brought you out of darkness, out of your Egypt, so that I might be your God and walk among you. You no longer live under slavery, and I do not require you to perform for Me—I delight in your heart turned toward Me. You are My royal priesthood, My treasured possession, chosen not for your strength but because I love you.
You have looked for fruitfulness through activity, but I am drawing you deeper, to know that ministry begins in your being, not your doing. When your heart rests in Me and you trust Me with the blemishes—the pain, the shame, the hidden things—I heal what was broken, and I move through what is yielded. Your dishes become an altar, your errands a sanctuary, your words a conduit of grace. This is the priesthood of all who abide in Me.
Every act of faith, every moment surrendered, every word spoken in love becomes a touch of My Kingdom in this world. You do not need to earn My approval; you already have it in Christ. Let Me live through you. Let your life be bread for the hungry, healing for the weary, hope for the downcast. You are not a servant frantically performing for Me. You are My son, My daughter—My dwelling place.
Scriptures woven in: Leviticus 22:31–33; Exodus 6:7; 1 Peter 2:9; John 15:4–5; Romans 6:13; 1 Corinthians 3:16; Philippians 2:13; Colossians 1:27
Prayer
Father, thank You for calling me not into a religion of performance, but into a priesthood of presence. You’ve made me holy by Your work, not mine, and I rejoice in the rest of knowing that I belong to You. I trust that even now, Your life is flowing through mine—quietly, faithfully—bringing blessing and healing to those around me. As I go about the simple tasks of my day, I know You are there. You have made the ordinary sacred because You dwell within me. I praise You that my worth isn’t measured by what I do but by who You are in me. And I receive this moment—this breath—as a sacred invitation to abide.
Devotional Credit: “Immeasurably More” by Ray Stedman
Photo Credit: Unsplash