Chosen people

 You are a chosen people …. I Peter 2:9

The whole Bible is full of God choosing people. The doctrine of this is called election but the bottom line is that God chose individuals to be in relationship with him, to know his love and to work out his salvation plan for mankind.

God chose Abraham to be the ‘father of many nations’ Genesis 12:5.  He also chose his sons and grandsons.  Isaac was the son of the promise and it was scheming Jacob who also inherited the promise and whose name was changed to Israel which became the name of the nation. 

God chose Joseph of all the 12 brothers to be the saviour of Jacob’s family.  God chose Moses, the murderer, in spite of his great reluctance to lead the Israelites out of slavery.  God chose Aaron, even after he led the nation into idolatry, to become chief priest of the newly freed nation. God chose Gideon to free the Israelites from the oppression of Midian.  God chose David from his 8 brothers to be king and Solomon, not his first born son to be king after him.

The list goes on.  God chose Cyrus by name, before he was even born, to be the instrument of bringing the Jews back from exile and rebuilding the temple.  God chose Mary to be the mother of his beloved son.  Jesus chose the 12 to be his disciples and God chose Paul, the persecutor of his people, to be his instrument to take the Gospel to the Jews and Gentiles. 

And God has chosen you and me.  We know that we are a chosen people because the Bible assures us of that over and over again.  If in any doubt do read Ephesians 1: 3 – 14.  He takes ordinary people and does extraordinary things through them to bring about his plans and purposes.  As we have seen before, it is grace and grace alone that called us.  Immediately following the verses on being saved by grace it says, ‘For we are God’s workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do’ (Ephesians 2:10).  We have been chosen for a purpose.  We need never doubt our worth or the value in which God holds us.  The devil wants to persuade you that you are useless, worthless and a huge disappointment to God.  It is lies.  You are loved, appreciated, approved, valued, worthy and a source of great joy to God. 

You have been chosen by God.