For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you.
1 Thessalonians 1:4 NIV
To be chosen by God is something spectacular. It’s better than winning the golden ticket in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. It’s better than the day you met your partner, and it’s better than your favorite memory. To be chosen by God is so incredible it’s hard to wrap our minds around. Yet, His word tells us it’s being seated with Christ (Ephesians 2: 6 NIV). It’s walking with Jesus, always (Isaiah 41:10 NIV). And, it’s knowing that the Holy Spirit can comfort us and fill us with the joy of the Lord because he has selected us (John 14:26 NIV).
Yet, some days, I don’t feel very chosen. I get lost in the neverending laundry cycle, distracted by news, social media, and text messages, and my emotions bounce all over the place as I parent our kids. I go from happy to concerned to disappointed to encouraging all within minutes. At times, I can’t help but wonder: am I chosen? And, what am I chosen for?
Ephesians 1:3-4 answers this:
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.
God allows us to be holy and blameless before him. This is what we’re chosen for. In the busyness of our daily lives, it’s easy to confuse chosen with purpose.
Chosen comes before purpose.
God wants us to be holy and blameless.
To be holy is to be dedicated to God. And, to be blameless is to accept that when Jesus died on the cross, he wiped away our sins and took that burden on himself. God doesn’t choose us based on how we behave today. He chose us to be holy and blameless before He created the world!
So, just because I don’t feel chosen doesn’t mean I’m not. My feelings aren’t reliable, but the Word of God is.
I am chosen.
You are chosen.
So, how do we remind ourselves that we’re chosen when life overwhelms us? I
remind myself that the things I often complain about other people would delight to have. For example, we have enough clothes to create a mountain of laundry, I have a car to run the kids to and from school and the extracurricular activities they enjoy, and I love my job.
This morning, I blocked out an hour in my schedule to spend with Jesus. I poured coffee into a mug, grabbed my bible and journal, and sat at the kitchen table. I switched my phone to do-not-disturb and thanked God for choosing me and giving his son so I could be holy and blameless. Sitting in his presence, I scribbled my thoughts onto the blank page. As the ink sprawled over the page, I heard God whisper, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” I turned to Exodus 3:5 NIV and read the passage. It’s here on the Holy Ground that God reminds us that I am the God of your father. It’s here that Moses receives the instructions for his purpose––to go to the Israelites and guide them to the promised land.
Being chosen means coming into the Father’s presence and worshipping, loving, sitting, listening, and being with our Father. When we’re obedient to this, we find our direction for living. Sometimes, like Moses, that direction is unexpected, and we find ourselves questioning,
“Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” Exodus 3:11 NIV
David also found direction in God’s presence, but he also found joy
You make known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
Psalm 16:11 NIV
But my favorite verse is that being with God is a place to have
…our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.
Hebrews 10:22 NIV
Being with God is a place of restoration. It’s the place to be when we struggle with the question––Am I chosen?
Because it’s in this place that God says, “I chose you.”
A Love Letter From God …
Dear lovely one,
I chose you. I set you apart to sit with me, to walk with me, and to live your life with me. I washed away your sins when you accepted my Son as your Savior. There are no stains or marks from your past, present, or future that Jesus does not deal with.
As you spend time with me today, share your happy moments, worries, concerns, hopes, and dreams, for I love listening to you. And, then, take a moment to be still and listen for my voice. It’s here in the quiet that you may hear a whisper of my Word or discern how to deal with a problem or situation. And, as you open your heart and mind to me, my peace that transcends understanding protects you.
Remember, because I chose you, you are holy and blameless before me.
I see you, my beloved; I love you.
And, I am with you always.
Love, God