He
chose you!
I
am once again amazed that God chose me today. During a discussion
this weekend I was reminded of the fact that it was not just by
chance that I walked up to my Bible the day my grandmother died; God
ordained it to be. It was not by chance that I offered to take my
father's place at the funeral hall the night before her viewing to be
sure everything was okay; only to realize that she was no longer in
the shell in the casket. It was not by chance that I went to another
funeral that after my aunt prayed openly for God not to rain on the
funeral the sky opened up and sun shone down on our procession and
service in Seattle! God plans our steps orders our way and shows us
what He has planned. Our part is to follow after Him.
“...So
which of these three do you think was a neighbor to him who fell
among the thieves?”And he said “He who showed mercy on him.”
Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.” Luke 10:36-37
God
opened up the sky to show me a whole new life was waiting for me, now
my job is to go and help others to see that open sky is there for a
reason.
He
had a plan to choose us before we were born, even in our mother's
womb He knew us according to David.
But
You are He who took Me out of the womb; I was cast upon You from
birth. From my mother's womb You have been My God. Be not far from me
for trouble is near; for there is none to help. Psalm 22:9-11
I
have heard people say of a child that they knew God right from the
start. There was a little boy I taught years ago and even at the age
of three he was preaching, not just singing Jesus loves me but
talking with authority of the Holy Spirit and wisdom that comes only
from God in a child of such a young age. I watched this child for a
few years and I trust that if he did not get caught up in the worlds
desires that he is a powerful preacher today bringing Christ to all
nations. Even if he is not I trust that those, such as me, whom he
spoke to even as a child were touched by God through him.
I
understand a little bit more about the grace of God in that even
though He knew we were going to be jerks to our siblings at times, we
may break a rule, a law or even a heart; He chose us.
For
as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God.
For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you
received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba Father.”
The spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children
of God. Romans 8:14-16
He
chose the disciples to bring the Gospel message out to those nations
around them. He chose each of their followers or fellow servants o f
the Gospel to spread a little further and a little further their
people and so on. Through out history we can read in text books how
the Gospel was spread, it was coveted and it was protected and maybe
even miss taught at times but the Truth of Jesus Christ always comes
through. God always comes through with the true reason we are walking
in an area that is not always fun.
Sometimes
I wonder why God stuck me where He has me; sometimes I feel like I am
stuck in the mud and can't get out. When I feel this way because of
circumstances around me I stop for a moment, when I am done crying
like a baby over it, and ask God what I am supposed to do to get out
of the mess. If in fact He chose me to be His child then He has a
plan for how I am to get out of it. I forget that sometimes, in my
humanness or what the Bible calls 'my flesh'. I think I am supposed
to do this one all by myself, you know, figure it out myself and not
ask for help? After all God gave me a brain, some muscles, and a body
that is able why can't I just pull myself out of the mud and get
rinsed off?
He
chose me to walk in this mud. He chose me to ask for His help so that
He could show me something in my life. Lately it has been about
trusting Him. Trusting Him to guide my life steps, trusting Him to
provide wisdom in all my walking, trusting that He loves me. Do you
know how much God loves you?
It
is amazing to think about it because He loves you enough that He
chose you. He chose you to be right where you are right now reading
this article. He knows you are reading it and thinking, really? Why
would God care about such a small thing? Because He chose you,
because He loves you.
We
all walk through paths now and again that we wonder about the reason
for it, whether it is loosing a loved one before we are ready to let
them go, or a car accident that takes away the vehicle that got you
to work; God chose you to walk in that path and when the time is
right you will find the reason.
I
know this is true because He wrote about it in His Word, the Bible.
He
used Paul and Silas in a prison. He used Stephen at his death. He can
use you right where you are today because He chose you!
We
need to stop focusing on the humanness of our lives and focus on the
fact the Holy Spirit is with us in all that we do. We do not need to
feel as if we are stuck in the mud, but rather walking through it. A
funny thought when my husband planted a certain seed in a planter it
only sprouted a few sprouts of flowers there. Eventually the path of
stones began showing signs of something growing there and as they
grew taller he could see where the seeds went. My husband chose where
he thought the flowers should grow but God had another plan. He blew
the seeds to a different location. He chose where to plant the seeds,
not my husband.
We
have heard it said that God does not give us something we cannot
handle; I disagree. My God gives me stuff I can't handle alone, so
that I will call upon Him for help. He gives me information I can't
understand alone; so that I will ask Him for wisdom and
understanding. He allows me to walk in darkness for a time so that I
may ask, seek and find His light.
He
chose me to walk the life I am walking, and I choose Him to guide my
steps instead of trying to walk them alone.
He
chose to love us; that we might choose to follow His example and love
one another. He chose us to walk in the mud for His purpose not
because we love the feel of the mud between our toes nor not.
He
chose you... and no matter how hard it is for us to understand the
fact that He loves us that much that even someone as useless or as
ugly or as simpleminded or weak as me; He chose me to love.
God
must think we are worth all the hassles we give Him; let us go and do
likewise. Lets realize today that He has placed us where we are for
His purpose and that He is worth the hassle it take for us to get
through the day.
Dear
heavenly Father, thank you for choosing me today, thank you for
choosing us to join your family. Open our eyes to see and our ears to
hear what Your Spirit is telling us today and help us to walk in Your
promises, In Jesus name, amen.
Suggested
reading: Romans 8:1-39, Romans 9:1-33, Psalm 22:1-31 and Psalm
37:1-40