Verse 7

Numbers

SERVICE A GIFT

Num_18:7 .

All Christians are priests-to offer sacrifices, alms, especially prayers; to make God known to men.

1. Our priesthood is a gift of God’s love. We are apt to think of our duties as burdensome. They are an honour and a mark of God’s grace.
   1. They are His gift- a The power to do. All capacities and possessions from Him. b The wish to do. ‘Worketh in you to will.’ c The right to do, through Christ.
   2. They are a blessing. a Note the good effects on ourselves-the increase of fellowship with Him, the strengthening of all holy desires. b The future benefits. Apply this to prayer and to effort on behalf of our fellow-men.
2. Our priesthood is to be done as a service -under a sense of obligation to a master, with diligence an [Greek: ergon], not a [Greek: parergon].
3. Our priesthood is to be done as a gift to God -to be done joyfully, giving ourselves back to Him: ‘Yield yourselves unto God’-’your reasonable service.’

Then only do we really possess ourselves, and ‘all things are ours, for we are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.’