1月20日
标 题：君尊的祭司
经 节：惟有你们是被拣选的族类，是有君尊的祭司，是圣洁的国度，是属神的子民，要叫你们宣扬那召你们出黑暗入奇妙光明者的美德。（彼得前书二章9节）
如果你是个基督徒，你就是神所挑选的祭司。身为君尊祭司的一员，你得时常面谒皇帝。生活中有欠缺时，你不需要找仲介，也不需要另一位祭司的协助，好能得到神的回答；你所拥有君尊祭司的身分允许你能直接面谒神。这是你祭司身分的特权。
然而，祭司也有其应尽职责。祭司的责任是与全体的祭司同工。圣经中并没有鼓励每位祭司担负其个人独特的事工。相反地，祭司们一起同工事奉（利未记九：1）。个人主义会孤立你与众祭司的搭配，这并不是神在圣经的教导。
祭司在百姓面前代表神，也把百姓的忧虑带到神的面前。你周围是否有人正急迫地需要一位神的祭司的代祷？或许某人唯有借着看到你的生命，才前来认识神。我们的世界饥渴地找寻真神。借着祂的百姓能活出祂的生命，才能表彰神。将我们自己的工作放在神的呼召之上，是极其危险的。我们首要的职分是祭司，工作是次要的。当我们的优先次序弄混时，周遭的人无法借由我们面谒神。神给你的召命可能是一份世俗的工作，但更重要的是，祂早已指定你作祂的君尊祭司。
Royal Priests
But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. (1 Peter 2:9)
If you are a Christian, you are a priest, chosen by God. As a member of the royal priesthood you have constant access to the King. If there is ever a need in your life, you don’t have to find an intermediary or enlist another priest in order to gain a hearing from the King. Your position as a royal priest allows you direct access. This privilege describes your position as a priest.
However, priests also have a function. It is the responsibility of a priest to work within a priesthood. Scripture does not promote the practice of individual priests, each with a separate ministry. Rather, priests function together (Lev. 9:1). An unbiblical sense of individualism can isolate you from functioning within God’s royal priesthood as_He intended.
The priest represents God to the people, but he also takes the people’s concerns to God. Is there someone around you who desperately needs the intercession of one of God’s priests? Perhaps someone will only come to know God by seeing Him in your life. Our world hungers for an expression of Christ as He really is, living out His life through His people. It is dangerous to put our job above our calling by God. We are called to be priests first, and to hold a job second. When we get these out of order, everyone around us is denied access to the Father through us. God may have called you into a secular job as a vocation, but more importantly He has appointed you to be one of His royal priests.
