Regarding Being Chosen

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession (I Peter 2:9, ESV)

One of the things I really dreaded about gym class as a girl were the times we would need to team up for an activity and the teacher let students or team captains do the choosing. If you were not among the most athletic or popular you would be among the last to be chosen. This was always a time of distress for me because I was not either one of those. Name after name called, girl after girl would be chosen, until the numbers and choices were down to a few of us. Eventually someone would call my name—what a relief—but I knew it was not because they really wanted me on their team, I was not chosen because I was  favored, but because I was the least bad of the yet unchosen or I was a pity-pick; someone to even the team out.

Peter reminds us that we are a royal priesthood, a chosen people; not God’s last choice, we are not his pity-pick, but he really wants us on his team. He has gone to great lengths—including sacrificing His only Son Jesus—to assure we could be part of him for all eternity. Even with all our faults, our quirks, our being head-strong, falling short, frail, fearful, anxious, and possessing an outright rebellious nature, God still wants us and chooses us.

We might think of how amazing it is that even though people will pass us over, we would be the last to be chosen or seen as an asset, God still chooses us out of his will, out of his great and never diminishing love. We will be passed over many times in this life, we will experience times where we are not the people’s “choice.” We’ll know we are not the favorite and if they can get around including us, they will, but God lets us know he willingly and freely has chosen us. Let’s Pray,

Thank you for choosing us, Lord. We have a lot of issues, we fall short more times than we’d like to admit, but still you choose us. We are more than grateful, we are blessed. Amen

Reflective Questions for Self and Soul-Tending:

Have you experienced times and occasions in life where you were not chosen for something or by someone? How did you feel afterward? How does it make you feel knowing God chooses you?

How will you incorporate today’s message into your plan of self and soul-care?