R U ONE OF THE CHOSEN?

I don't know about you, but growing up as a child, I was usually the "runt of the litter" when it came to choosing sides for some athletic contest in the backyard of one of my neighborhood friends. But, though small in stature and frame, I was pretty athletic and had good hand/eye coordination...so I was often one of the first one's chosen to participate. Of course, as you can imagine, that left me feeling pretty good about myself.

In the book of Ephesians, we find the apostle Paul explaining to his young flock of believers that they too have been chosen by God to receive the salvation that God has made available through the shed blood of His Son, Jesus. But Paul is also very quick to point out that though we are chosen as the "elect of God the Father," we have done ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to merit that selection by a Holy God. Paul writes in Ephesians 2:8-9, "For you are saved by grace through faith and this is not from yourselves; IT IS GOD'S GIFT (my emphasis)....not from works, so that NO ONE CAN BOAST (my emphasis). For we are his workmanship; created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do."

So, let's take a moment and let that word from Paul truly sink into the depths of our soul.  God knew before time who would be the chosen for He had already created good works for us to do in the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ. But here's the kicker....we were chosen by God not because of who we would be, our talents, our gifts or even our great faith....we were chosen before the beginning of time for what we would do for God and His Kingdom....and those good works were already prepared for us to accomplish through our faith and trust in our Lord, Jesus Christ.

I know that I myself have been tempted on many occasions to look at the "good things" I have done and want to take credit for them and bask in the glory that comes from doing a "good deed." But God chose me and brought me into existence so that when the opportunity was presented, I would be in the right place, at the right time, to do the right thing, so that He would get the glory and I would fulfill my calling in the choosing of God to do His will in that moment.

If this way of thinking gets you to asking questions about the "chosen" and the "un-chosen," then do yourself a favor and start reading in Ephesians 1. I trust that Paul's writings will help you to see that you belong to God because He chose YOU...and not the other way around!

And when you get good at that kind of thinking, you will spend more time shining the spotlight on the Father and the workings of His Son and the Holy Spirit in your life than on yourself and the woes that may beset you....remember, YOU BELONG TO GOD ....FOR YOU ARE THE CHOSEN ONE....AND THERE IS NO ONE JUST LIKE YOU!!!!

Basking in the glow of being chosen for the Kingdom of God....

WPQ