Striving
As a young boy I seemed to be smaller and less talented than most of my buddies, at least I felt that way. When it came to choosing up sides for whatever we were playing, I most often was chosen last. Not a real confidence builder. So, I was always trying to prove myself worthy of being on a team, even if I were the last pick. Maybe some of you have experienced that before.
And as a young teenager and later, I never felt like I measured up to God’s standards. Even though I trusted Jesus as best I knew how at twelve years of age, I was always trying to earn his pleasure, even my salvation. I guess some of us are slow learners. But after an encounter with the Lord around thirty-two, I became acutely aware that this striving to earn God’s favor was counter to his promises, his divine character.
Chosen
And it became abundantly clear when the Lord revealed the truths in I Peter 2. Christ is the Living Stone, on which we are being built into a spiritual house for his pleasure and the glory of the Father. “As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him—you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (vss. 4,5 NIV).
Notice that in verse 4 and 9, God says that we are chosen, chosen by him to be very special people in his eternal kingdom. God does not look at our physical attributes; he chooses based on his good pleasure. So blessed to be chosen for his team.
