He Chose Us!

By Alexandra Copeland

James 4:6 tells us that God opposes the proud and arrogant but favors the humble. Jesus Christ said in Matthew 18:4 that we will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven unless we turn from sin and humble ourselves like children before our God. I will venture to say that human beings struggle with humility probably more than any other Godly quality. We don’t like the correction part of being a disciple of Christ because it always means that we will have to release something we’ve grown comfortable clinging to. Ephesians 4:22 tells us to put off the attitudes, deeds, behaviors, and conversations that were corrupt through and through. That old self was crucified with Christ and doesn’t exist anymore, so we shouldn’t try resurrecting it. Instead, God tells us to change the way we think, so that our attitudes, deeds, behaviors, and conversations line up with our recreated spirit, which is our new creation in Christ. This is a firm, non-negotiable aspect of our Christian walk, and the best thing we can do to help ourselves is to be humble and submit to it.  

God sees Christ in us! This means that He sees the best in us even when we don’t see it in ourselves. When we’re in humble obedience to God’s Word, we are trusting in what God sees. We’re not leaning on our own understanding, but leaning on His, because He knows the final result of what we’ll become.  

The most pressing reason for releasing the baggage of our ‘old man’ nature is because it hinders our fellowship with God. We don’t want this, because fellowship with Heavenly Father is the joy of our rejoicing. It’s our fuel. Holding on to the wrong things means that we don’t trust God enough to let them go. He tells us in Hebrews 11:6 that without trusting Him with all that we are, we can’t please Him. Trusting Him is the only appropriate response to His goodness. 

Our whole reason for existing is to fellowship with God through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit. Most people don’t believe this. They believe that becoming an actor, celebrity, mother, father, CEO, scientist, doctor, or entrepreneur is their reason for being. These are all wonderful, but they do not define us or explain our reason for existing. Special talents, skills, gifts, and abilities provide ways to bless others. They also bring a certain level of fulfillment to us, but truth, history, and personal examples reveal that life is more than this, and we will not be happy in life simply by pursuing these things. 

We exist because God wanted a family. He created us with this sole reason in mind. He desires fellowship with each one of His children through the Lord Jesus Christ. This is a mind-blowing truth! To think that Heavenly Father would desire a relationship with us is almost too much to fathom, but His Word bears testimony of it. 1Corinthians 1:9(NLT) tells us, “God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” Heavenly Father chose us to be His very own. We didn’t choose Him first, He chose us. Ephesians 1:4 tells us that before He made the world, He loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and blameless. 

God wants everyone to be saved through His Son, so that they can come into relationship with Him. Sometimes we have barriers around our hearts that keep us walled off from His goodness. These barriers have to be knocked down through His love. You must accept that He loves you unconditionally, and that He wants to help you become the vision He holds in His heart for your life. This is a truth we all must grasp in full surrender. 

God is good all the time, and all the time God is good. Heavenly Father doesn't need anything from us to define His Being. He is God all by Himself. King David praised the Lord in 1Chronicles 29:11-13(NLT) by saying, “11 Yours, O LORD, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. Everything in the heavens and on earth is yours, O LORD, and this is your kingdom. We adore you as the one who is over all things. 12 Wealth and honor come from you alone, for you rule over everything. Power and might are in your hand, and at your discretion people are made great and given strength. 13 “O our God, we thank you and praise your glorious name!” These words paint a beautiful portrait of the Lord. He’s so magnificent, generous, loving, and kind. We should feel incredibly grateful and blessed that He chose us to be His children. James 1:18 tells us that we’re His prized possession. We’re the focus of His attention and affection, and He wants us to honor our relationship with Him as much as He does.■ 

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved. 

Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.