CHOSEN
He chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him (Eph. 1:4).
As a kid, I wasn’t chosen for much of anything. There’s not an athletic bone in my body, so when it came time to pick teams in school, I was on the sidelines until the bitter end. Even in the things I did well (like spelling), teachers didn’t call on me often unless I frantically raised my hand. If I’m honest, those experiences undermined my confidence and made me feel insignificant.
I didn’t grow up knowing God. In fact, in my home Christ wasn’t mentioned in a positive way. Instead, I was raised to believe that hard work and self-determination were the pathways to success. I focused all my energy on making something of myself. Perhaps you can relate.
It wasn’t until I was in my early twenties after my father died that I began searching for Jesus. And let me tell you, it wasn’t an easy process. I had no one in my life to explain who Jesus was and all He had done. But God is faithful.
Let me pause here for a supernatural story. Though I didn’t have knowledge about God, I always believed there was a powerful force in the universe. When I was little, my great grandmother sent me some prayers in the mail. I’d memorized this popular bedtime one: “Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take. That was the extent of my God knowledge, and I said the prayer every night, just in case.”
The night of my father’s funeral, our family and close friends were gathered around the dining room table reminiscing about my dad. I asked them, “Where is he now?” No one could answer, and I was beside myself in grief and anger. I wanted so desperately to believe in Heaven; I wanted to know I’d see him again one day. In the silence of the room, I heard a voice in my head (not my voice) say, “Go find Jesus, and He’ll tell you where he is.”
There’s more to the story of course, but that voice sent me seeking. The Jesus I found met me in my grief and set me on the path of a new life.
It took a while to start reading the Bible. At first, I didn’t understand a thing in it. But hard work and determination paid off. Reading small sections of Scripture each day increased my knowledge and helped me make sense of my new spiritual life.
One verse, in particular, flipped my world upside down: “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit–fruit that will last–and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you” (John 15:16).
Jesus’ words washed over me. All these years of thinking I was the seeker... when I wasn’t the seeker at all. God was. He was the One guiding me toward Him. I hadn’t “chosen” Jesus; He had chosen me.
He has chosen you, too.
In Ephesians 1:4, Paul tells us we were chosen in Him before God formed the earth. Let that sink in. As His Church, we are chosen by Jesus
to carry Christ’s fullness into every corner of culture and sphere of society. The Church is the people of God saved by the power of God for the purposes of God. It is all the people of God on everyday mission to fill everything in every way with the fullness of Jesus.
What a relief it is to know that though we still work hard, we don’t need to strive to make something of ourselves. He is the ultimate maker, and He wants so much more for us, His Church.
How does it feel knowing God chose you for His team?