In short, we need to take our roles as priests and be so peculiar that the world watching us concludes that there MUST BE A GOD!
Remember to appeal to and plead with God on the basis of how his reputation will be clarified and upheld by his working in the lives of our brethren and enemies in his own marvelous way. Also, that our coming before his throne to plead for other is not because we are so great ourselves but that, since He has been merciful to me the chief of sinners we presumed to believe that He might be merciful to the runner up. If this approach to life doesn’t make you peculiar-nothing will.
TRY IT! See if focusing on asking God to bless others, especially the others involved in the situation that you happen to be worrying about, doesn’t bring you the unexplainable peace of God.
DANIEL 9 18 for we do not present our supplications before thee for our righteousnesses, but for thy great mercies.
19 O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, hearken and do; defer not, for thine own sake, O my God: for thy city and thy people are called by thy name.
20 And whiles I was speaking, and praying, and confessing MY sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the Lord my God for the holy mountain of my God;
¶ Then Naomi, her mother-in-law, said unto her, My daughter, shall I not seek rest for thee that it may be well with thee?
Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end.
Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.
There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.
And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:NUMBERS 14:11 And the Lord said unto Moses, How long will this people provoke me? and how long will it be ere they believe me, for all the signs which I have shewed among them?
12 I will smite them with the pestilence, and disinherit them, and will make of thee a greater nation and mightier than they.
13 And Moses said unto the Lord, Then the Egyptians shall hear it, (for thou broughtest up this people in thy might from among them;)
14 And they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land: for they have heard that thou Lord art among this people, that thou Lord art seen face to face, and that thy cloud standeth over them, and that thou goest before them, by day time in a pillar of a cloud, and in a pillar of fire by night.
15 Now if thou shalt kill all this people as one man, then the nations which have heard the fame of thee will speak, saying,
16 Because the Lord was not able to bring this people into the land which he sware unto them, therefore he hath slain them in the wilderness.
17 And now, I beseech thee, let the power of my lord be great, according as thou hast spoken, saying,
18 The Lord is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation.
19 Pardon, I beseech thee, the iniquity of this people according unto the greatness of thy mercy, and as thou hast forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.
20 And the Lord said, I have pardoned according to thy word:
This is so timely (it often is!) I will print it for a friend who doesn’t do computers, and forward it to others.I’m reading a book by John and Carol Arnott called Grace and Forgiveness, and this just confirms everything they write.