I hold my breath with anticipation; the only sound I hear is the rhythmic beating of my heart; “They won’t pick me; I am sure of it…” I prepare myself, “There are so many others to choose from, so many others who are much more valuable than I am.” There is the charming little guy with the crooked smile – everyone falls for that one. There is the genius – they know stuff, and that’s important to people; they can even speak up when they have to… I don’t always know what to say. Then there is the strong one – they will get chosen first, looks and strength are constantly taken over the ordinary. I just want to be recognized for who I am and valued for something other than what I can do. But there is no hope of that, or is there?
It often astounds me, but God chose me; and not over anyone else or instead of someone, He chose me simply because He loves me. Where others hate and cast judgments and aspersions, God chooses to accept me just as I am. I know what I must look like to God. I know how my mistakes, failures, and poor choices have damaged my soul. But He takes care of those things, and by His loving-kindness, God reached out and drew me near to His side.
You have to understand, He just doesn’t forget all I did wrong. No, He bundled it all up and asked His Son to bear my debt… This is a significant sacrifice because God’s law states, “The wages of sin is death.” You see, God so loved you and me that He gave His only begotten Son, Jesus, to die in our place. He did this because He knew we were unable to pay our debt to God. This satisfies God’s perfect justice and declares us justified under the law. And when we place our trust in Jesus’ salvation work, by faith, we receive all the benefits that Jesus, God’s Son, enjoys. So not only does God choose me, but He also makes way for Him to adopt me into His family as well.
This is the most fantastic thing anyone has ever done for me. God had every right to judge and condemn me, and instead, He made it possible for me to be forgiven and adopted, thereby drawing me near to His heart. Every time I stop and consider the magnitude of God’s choice, it’s not the doctrines I think about; it’s His loving kindness.
Through adoption, God has shown His love towards humanity by taking the initiative in restoring the fellowship damaged by sin. Furthermore, adoption is a declaration of a change in legal status by which we move from being alien to God… to a child who can look affectionately and trustingly upon Him as “our Father.” Wow! That is so cool! We can spend all the time you want arguing about how we got here and who deserves it, but for me, I just want to enjoy the rest Jesus offers from all that hustling to appear worthy of being chosen.
We have all stood in line at some point, each hoping to be picked. The really cool thing is, there is no line with God. Jesus has taken care of all the criteria and said, “Come all you who are weary from life’s drama, and I will give you rest from striving to be good enough. Take hold of My life,” Jesus continues, “and learn how that loving our heavenly Father, by obedience to His Word, breaks down every barrier to fellowship with Him. There is no law against what the Spirit enriches our lives with when we obey God’s word and trust His guidance.” So, by God’s loving choice, we can relax and enjoy living the life of Christ by faith in His perfect work.
You don’t have to make it on your own, there is hope, and His name is Jesus; accept His invitation and abide in His life. You won’t regret it for a moment because Jesus is the way that makes it possible to be with our Father.
Choose wisely…
#prayerwinstheday
Written by David Brown: David Brown is a husband, father, grandfather, Pastor with a Masters of Religious Studies and a Professor of Philosophy and Comparative Religions. Dave is the Associate Pastor of Pemberton’s First Baptist Church
Think About This: “He knows that his plan will confuse and confound you. And he knows that real rest cannot be found in understanding. Real rest is found in trust.”―
The Daily Bible Reading: Matthew 8 | You can download our 2021 Daily Bible Reading Plan by clicking here.
