Chosen

Chosen - selected or marked for special favor or special privilege.

I went through a time in my life when I was severely depressed, and in that dark season, I did a lot of things I’m not proud of. I didn’t talk to anyone about it, and I didn’t pray about it either. Instead, I carried the weight of it all on my own, convinced that I had to “fix myself” before I could even think about coming to God.

I often used to think I had to be "perfect" before standing in God's presence, that thought alone kept me away from Him for a long time. Quite frankly, I don't know where the thought stemmed from. Jesus said it in His Word that He came for the sinners so why did I think that I had to first "work on myself" before surrendering myself to Him?

I am coming to realize there are a lot of things that actually try to keep us from seeking God. Instead of going to the Creator to restore me, I tried doing it on my own. By doing that, I was leaning on my own strength and understanding instead of His. 

I'm sure you can guess that the whole, "working on myself" thing didn't really produce much nor did it lead me anywhere. The only thing it did was to keep growing the distance between me and God. What I should have done was to read the Word to see and truly believe that God loved me through it all. 

He wanted me as I was so that He could save me. 

He wanted me as I was so that His grace would be shown through me. 

He wanted me as I was so that I could be able to one day share my story and inspire a brother or a sister.

He wanted me as I was because He knew what I could be. 

He wanted me as I was because I am His child.

A recent verse that has spoken to me is Ephesians 1:4 (NLT) :

"Even before He made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes".

His love for me is still something I cannot fully grasp but I see it everyday. When I read the Word, I see His love. This understanding of God's love is reflected in the book of Jeremiah, which I have been reading recently. 

Jeremiah was a prophet chosen by God to warn the people of Israel to turn from their sinful nature and serve the One and Only Living God. The people of Israel were corrupt and served idols, even going as far as sacrificing their own children to idols - which is very detestable. Despite all that, God loved His people.

In his anger He promised to bring the sword, famine and plague upon His people but He also promised them salvation if they just turned to Him. I encourage you to explore the book of Jeremiah. It is a powerful testimony of God's love, patience and a call to repentance.

The key takeaway is that God loved his people even when they did detestable things. He loved his people although they were disobedient. He loved his people when they chose to turn from Him. His love was and always will be unconditional!

When I look back to my life without Him, I used to battle a lot of feelings of inadequacy and unworthiness. But this verse is literally telling me that He chose me and loved me before He created the world. I am holy and without fault in his eyes through Christ. 

Take a moment to reflect on the gravity of this verse. WE WERE CHOSEN AND LOVED EVEN BEFORE THE WORLD WAS CREATED!

However it is important to note that He chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God sent His one and only son so that we may be chosen and purified. As the Scripture states, we cannot go to the Father without first going through the Son. 

You are loved and are chosen by the Most High. Don't ever forget that and don't let the world convince you otherwise.