Many of us have an understanding, however deep or shallow, of priests. It’s a term that paints a specific picture in our modern understanding, but one that has a very deep and important meaning that goes all the way back to the Garden of Eden, Melchizedek, Aaron, and eventually Jesus. But what value does “priesthood” have on the other side of Jesus’ death and resurrection?
In the book of 1 Peter, we are called “a royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9),” which suggests that the idea of priests, who have access to God and represent Him to the people, was God’s idea from the beginning and is still important today. The truth is that access to God is no longer reserved for a specific group of people, socio-economic demographic, age, or gender. Access to God is now open to all people, and we can now go out into all the world and be salt and light. And today, church isn’t just something we attend, it’s part of who we are. We all now have a calling whether it’s in your job, your family, your marriage, your church, or wherever the Lord tells you to go, and that calling determines how we live.

If you’ve ever wondered what we’re here for, you’re not alone. Discovering your purpose in life is a universal experience. We all go through it at one time or another. The world is going to try and define it in a number of ways. It might sound like career success, financial abundance, material possessions, popularity, or any other number of circumstances that, on the surface, look good. Certainly those might be blessings from the Lord, but it’s not the ultimate goal. If that’s what our eyes are set on, we will go through life sorely unfulfilled.
Jesus made it very clear that we are to go into all the world and make disciples and to baptize. No matter who you are, what your life experiences are, or what your level of education is, God has a purpose for your life that has eternal significance. Are you willing to pursue it and say “no” to the empty promises of the world?