Scripture Reading — 1 Peter 2:9-10

“I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.” (Exodus 20:2)

The Lord who claims our allegiance is God, our Creator and Savior.

God delivered Israel when He brought them out of Egypt. They had been slaves there for hundreds of years. Faithful to His covenant promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Genesis 12:1-3; 15:13-21; Exodus 3:1-22), God called this people His own and continued His work of making them into a nation through which all other nations would be blessed. Then, many years later, through Jesus, God brought salvation to the world. And today, God includes all who believe in Christ as His people, His worldwide family. So, if we believe in Christ and confess our sins, we belong to God, and we are His alone.

As 1 Peter Chapter 2 puts it, we are a holy nation, set apart to be God’s special possession. From the beginning, it was love that created us and has bound us to God. And since our relationship with God is based on love, God’s law is not a burden, but a means of showing that love.

A Reformation-era catechism rejoices and takes comfort in the fact that we belong to God, our Creator and Savior:

“Q. What is your only comfort in life and in death?

“A. That I am not my own, but belong—body and soul, in life and in death—to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ.”

Prayer: O God, help us to see You as our faithful Creator and Savior. And help us to see obedience to Your law as a picture of what love can look like as we live from day to day. Amen.