"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light." (NIV)
What is God saying?
God's followers have a special purpose that makes them unique - they are called to share with the world what God has done for them.
What is God saying to us today?
There is a tension that most of us experience in life - we desire to be special, but don't want to be too special. We want the recognition that comes with having unique talents or skills, but don't necessarily want the scrutiny, pressure, or even ridicule that comes with standing too far out from the crowd. But, as followers of God, we are special, because we have been called out of the darkness that most of the crowd is wandering around in. So, we praise God for rescuing us by pointing others to His light. Unfortunately a lot of people seemingly like the darkness and don't appreciate our efforts. This does not mean though that we can become silent though, we have to continue to praise God and point others to Him because that's (in part) what makes us special!
What is God inviting us to do?
When was the last time you spent time simply focused on praising God? He invites us to spend time reveling in the fact that we are no longer in darkness, but instead have become specially chosen, royal priests!