Tuesday, September 3, 2024
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.
1 Peter 2:9
Chosen
During the time this scripture was written, the people understood that the Jews were called God’s chosen people. But here in 1 Peter, Peter is proclaiming that all believers are chosen by Him, and we are also all a royal priesthood – every last one of us. We have been chosen by Him – chosen by God! What a beautiful word that is - chosen. Many of us have known, and never forget, the pain of having not been chosen. It is hard to get our minds around an idea so powerful, that we, as believers, have been chosen.
Being chosen by God ranks higher than any other popularity contest you may have going on. Being chosen by God is greater than any amount of likes and follows on social media. It cancels out every time you were not chosen – by parents, friends, family, spouse, etc. Who is better, higher, and counts more than God? With our election we inherit all that God has in store for His children. We cannot buy, earn, or find what He gives only to those He chooses.
There is no question about God's ultimate will for us and that is that we shall recognize ourselves to be members of His own family. When we realize that we are chosen from the beginning of time to be members of that family we come to see ourselves as we really are - sons and daughters of the King of Kings. We walk with confidence and live with purpose. We have a new motivation, identification, and reputation, built on the foundation of Christ. We have something special and it will be evident to those around us that we are different as we begin to walk in our new life with Him.
Everyone in this world has a need to feel like he or she counts. Being a part of the family of God will not keep us from ever feeling like we are not chosen on earth. We live in a broken world full of sinners and sometimes we hurt each other. But we can rest assured that we will never be “unchosen” by God. No matter how much we mess up our lives, we can never erase or invalidate His choice to choose us. He chooses us forever. In our identity as His son or daughter lies everything we could ever need or want. Every need we could have fulfilled, every empty inch satisfied. We have an eternal identity that never changes, no matter what season we are in or what our circumstances are. The one identity that we have from the moment we are His can only be found in Him. Everything else in our lives should be built on this foundation.
As a result of being chosen by Him, He has called us out of darkness and into His light. We are to live as though we have been delivered from darkness into light and we are give that light to others around us. We have been chosen and brought from darkness to His marvelous light so that we can proclaim His praises because of what He has done for us. When we have a relationship with Him, walking The Jesus Way, everyone will see His marvelous light shining through us. Let’s live in our inheritance and carry His light to as many people as we can.
