"But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:"

Excluded. Rejected. Discarded. Abandoned. Forgotten. Set aside. Not chosen. Each of these speaks to a different aspect of feeling like you don't matter. Satan gives our sinful flesh the tools and opportunities to say these things to ourselves, making us feel bad about ourselves. But God loved us in Christ, brought us into His family, and gave us a reason to live. These are two of the most important words in the Bible. We are now a part of God's people. We are on the winning team of winning teams. We have been shown kindness! Grace has swept over us, and God's love has made us part of His family. Peter is reminding people who have been mistreated and misjudged that they can choose to see themselves as "nobodies" or by their new name. We're fortunate that Peter's words also speak to our hearts. You are God's child, my dear friend in Christ. You are like Moses, Esther, Paul, and Mary Magdalene in that you are part of His eternal and victorious people. Mercy has taken away the power of sin and failure and given you the power of grace through the Holy Spirit who lives in you. So don't live today as you once "were"; live today as you are in Jesus!

We were chosen for a reason. We are saved from our sins and given the wonderful light of salvation so that we can help other people. You see, we are blessed to be a blessing and given light to shine on others. Most of all, we are called to point people to Almighty God, the one true light that never goes out.

Explicitly excluded. Unaccepted. Discarded. Abandoned. Forgotten. Separation. Unpicked. Each of these approaches addresses a different aspect of feeling unimportant. Satan provides us with the means and opportunities to feel bad about ourselves through our sinful bodies. Nevertheless, God adopted us into His family through Christ and gave us a reason to live. These two words are among the most significant in the Bible. It is now our privilege to belong to the people of God. We are part of the winningest of winning teams. It has been a pleasure to work with you! As a result of God's grace, His love has engulfed us and we now belong to His family. It is Peter who urges those who have been treated unfairly and mischaracterized to decide whether to think of themselves as "nobodies" or under their new names. Peter's words also touch our hearts, which is fortunate for us. You are a child of God, my dear friend in Christ. Like Moses, Esther, Paul, and Mary Magdalene, you are members of His enduring and victorious people. Christ has removed the power of sin and failure from you and given you the power of grace through the Holy Spirit who resides within you. It is therefore imperative that you live today as the person you are in Christ and not as the person you were previously.