There is something so special about being chosen. Think about when you were a kid. How amazing was it when you were chosen for the team or asked to sit with someone at the lunch table? Or when you are chosen for a job or for an award? Being chosen makes us feel valued. When someone chooses to be our friend or spouse, it makes us feel loved and brings worth to our identity. We all have a longing in our heart to be chosen, to feel like someone has chosen us and picked us. That someone sees our worth and they choose us.
Not only did God choose to create us and to make us in His image, but He chose to be in relationship with us. He took great joy in living with His people in the garden of Eden. And when His people were separated by sin, He went to great lengths to make sure we could stay in relationship with Him, by sending His son, Jesus, to die on the cross and cleanse us of our sin.
For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory.”
Romans 8:29-30
Throughout history we can see God choosing us, His people, over and over again. He chooses us, even when we run away, even when we choose to worship something or someone else, even when we act defiantly and choose sin over God. He never stops pursuing us and continually chooses us to be His. When we make the decision to choose God by following His son Jesus, we are adopted as God’s children, and become heirs with Christ to the kingdom of God. How amazing is that?!
Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.”
Ephesians 1:4-5
We have a Heavenly Father who loves us unconditionally and chooses us to be His sons and daughters. He longs for relationship with us, as a loving father is with his child. Our identity is rooted in being the beloved child of God, the creator of the universe, the King of Kings. We are chosen and loved by God–that is the most important thing that defines us.
Part of our identity in Christ is being one chosen by God. Knowing that God chooses us frees us from having to strive to be chosen by others. Even when we are not picked for the team, for that job, in that friendship, we can still know our worth will always remain in who we are in Christ. We are always chosen by God. We are not chosen because we are worthy but rather we are worthy because we are chosen.
Apostle Paul knew exactly who he was in Christ and we can see that he often defined himself as chosen by God. In almost every one of his letters to the churches, Paul identifies himself to the churches this way: “This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus”. Paul found his confidence and worth in his identity as being chosen by God.
You are chosen too! You are chosen to be on God’s team. You are chosen to be His beloved daughter and to have a close relationship with Him. You are chosen to receive mercy and grace. You are chosen to be part of the kingdom of God.
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”
1 Peter 2:9-10
We are chosen because we are loved, but we are also chosen to be a part of God’s work in this world. Being made in His image means we reflect Christ to the world around us. We are chosen for a purpose.
“You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name.” John 15:16
“Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.” Colossians 3:12
Because we are chosen by God, He calls us to declare His praises and be a witness to His glory, to produce lasting fruit and to reflect His image by acting with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Because He called us out of the darkness and into His glorious light, we have the honor and privilege to be the holy, dearly loved, forgiven and called people of God.
