CHOSEN

 

Happy Monday!

Here we are – a little less than three weeks to Christmas …

I love this time of year!

It reminds me of wonder-filled act of love that God extended toward us all

 

‘For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son; that whosoever should believe in Him would not perish but have life everlasting’ John 3:16

 

When God plans – He know the end from the beginning.

 

Christ was chosen from the beginning of time – a perfect sacrifice and intercessor for us all

 

But He was not the only One chosen

The LORD has also chosen us

 

‘Before I formed you in your mother's womb I chose you. Before you were born I set you apart. I appointed you to be a prophet to the nations.’ Jeremiah 1:5 NET

 

‘I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.’ Isaiah 48:10 KJV

 

‘For you are a people holy to the Lord your God, and the Lord has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.’ Deuteronomy 14:2 ESV

I had a conversation with one of my sons recently regarding the upcoming Hanukkah celebration and we also talked about the Jewish people being God’s chosen people. And my son said something that has stuck with me for several days. He noted the tremendous challenges the Jewish people have endured’ over time – persecution, the holocaust, even their enslavement in Egypt in the Old Testament. And my son said, ‘… and still they love God and says He is the LORD their God … no wonder they are God’s chosen people”

 

However – the truth is – He does not love us because we love Him

He loved us – and continues to love us – even when loving Him was/is not a thought in our minds

In fact – we love Him only because He first loved us [I John 4:19]

We choose Him because He chose us

And even when we do not choose Him – He loves and chooses us still

 

It is an amazing love!

And, the beautiful thing is that we are all His CHOSEN people in CHRIST

 

‘For He chose us in Him [Christ] before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight.’ Ephesians 1:4 NIV

 

‘But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.’ I Peter 2:9 ESV

 

‘Jesus has cleared the way by the blood of His sacrifice, acting as our priest before God.’

Hebrews 10:20 MSG

 

As we reflect on the personal and individuals challenges that we might each be experiencing, as we think about the challenges all have faced throughout 2020 – I hope, through it all, we would still choose Him.

 

He never promised this life would be easy

But He did promise that He would be with us – EMMANUEL, God With Us

 

He chose us because He loves us –

But make no mistake – He loves it when we choose Him too

 

Have a Blessed Day!