1 Peter 2:9

  I am one of the people of God.
  "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." NKJV
  "But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God's very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light." JCB

  The Jewish people were a people apart, chosen by God to be the family line through which Christ would come. The Old Testament is, well, a testimony to God's involvement in their lives time and again. It's a written record of miracles, of a tumultuous history, of wars and enslavement and freedom. It's stories of the great and the humbled, the victorious and the lost, the proud and the meek. It's stories of human foibles and weaknesses that are overcome through faith.
  The Old Testament serves one purpose: to point to the coming of the Messiah and the New Covenant His life and death made available for all who would believe.
  God's final choice of who His people are is everyone. It was always going to be everyone. His final choice was made before Adam and Eve walked the earth.
  I only need to look at the world map, my small vanity, where countries who have visited this blog are highlighted. It makes the world a small place. I am honoured to be part of a family that surpasses the oceans, the mountains, the rivers and seas. Language, religion, and politics have been set aside in our common pursuit of Jesus' heart, His ways and His truth.
  This next bit may have been shared in one form or another but it is one of my favorite ideas so I'll share it again!
  Imagine flying at night, the plane cruising at 35,000 feet. Within the velvety darkness far below are lights. Sometimes they dot the side of an invisible road. You know it's there because the single line of lights marks its path. Other times, they clearly map out the streets and bi-ways of towns and cities and football fields. Sometimes a cluster appears in the middle of nowhere.
  I like to imagine these countless lights as being the spark of believers in Christ illuminating the darkness.
  God's chosen...we who are connected to one another in ways we can't even begin to imagine; who carry the Light of the World everywhere we go.
  How amazing is that!