Dearly beloved in Christ,
I greet you in the sweet name of Jesus Christ.
In my youth when I was looking for a job, I wrote the Railway Service Commission examination and as I had passed it I received an interview card for the post of stationmaster. I was so excited. I had been chosen for a post. I shared the joy with my friends and distributed sweets. After medical examination, I received the appointment order with instruction to join the Zonal Training School in Trichy. First stage of medical examination was cleared; but I failed to clear the eye test. I returned home sad. My father encouraged me. At that time I received an appointment order for the post of an assistant in the Highways Department. I joined it immediately. As this happed in a few days, I did not mind the earlier failure. But this job failed to satisfy me. At the end of six months, I joined a course in Physical Education to prepare for a teaching post which I detested. I completed the course in one year and I got appointed in Bishop Heber School the very next day. I attempted to be a Stationmaster; I ended as a PT master.
I. How are we chosen?
1. By Transforming
“But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel.” (Acts 9:15)
All of us seek placement in some jobs with the qualification, and wisdom we have, and make efforts to achieve them. But the Lord Jesus Christ chooses us for the role for which He has prepared us. Jesus Christ said to His disciples: “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you” (John 15:16). The Lord chooses persons who are unworthy and transforms them and makes them worthy. The way He chooses is beyond our understanding. We know how the Lord chose Saul who had got the permission to persecute Christians. The Lord met him on his way to Damascus, and the Lord said to Saul, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” (Acts 9:4). So he responded, “Lord, what do You want me to do?” The Lord sent Ananias to make him receive his sight and to be filled with the Holy Spirit. He also bore witness about him that “he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel” (Acts 9:15). Thus the Lord chose even those who worked against Him. Even today He chooses people in the same way.
2. Through Tribulation
“Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.” (Isaiah 48:10)
The Lord chooses some through affliction and tribulation. In Isaiah 48:10, we read it. The Lord loves us so much that He uses such means to make us turn to Him in tribulation. He wants us to realize His love for us and to serve Him. He chooses us to be His. Just think and examine how the Lord chose you. You would see how the Lord has led you so far through several trials and tribulations. You would know how gracious He was in leading us and supporting us. When we recollect the past events and realize His manifold love, we would shed tears of joy and praise the Lord.
Joseph had to go through suffering for a time. He was put into a waterless pit by his own brothers. He pleaded with them, but they would not listen to him. They saw the anguish of his soul, but would not hear him (Gen. 42:21). Just like Joseph, you might have had anguish in pleading with your brothers and sisters, or even your spouse. But the Lord wants to choose you and bless you. Do not be dismayed. The Lord who took Joseph out of affliction and raised him to glory would transform everything in your life too and He will be glorified in you. Joseph was faithful and good, but was falsely accused. He desired holiness and kept himself away from sin; yet he was falsely accused of sin he never committed. He was punished for a crime he never did. In prison, the Holy Spirit operated through him and the man who benefitted out of him soon forgot him. Is your life also so? The Lord knows. He will make you see wonders. All the mouths of those who speak against you will be shut. There would be exaltation and joy in your boundary.
3. From the Verge of Death
“You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called from its farthest regions, and said to you, ‘You are My servant, I have chosen you and have not cast you away.” (Isaiah 41:9).
In this passage we read that the Lord takes us from the ends of the earth and chooses us. It means when we are at the verge of death, having lost hope or means to a living. In bitterness you might have come to the end of life with thoughts of committing suicide with thoughts as to why you should live and for whom. He chooses such people in distress and gives them a new life and hope. He assures them: ‘You are My servant, I have chosen you and have not cast you away.”
In the lives of some of the ministers of God, the Lord has done mighty things in their miserable state to draw them closer to Him. He has done it in the lives of several believers too. There are several testimonies of the working of God in taking them from the ends of the earth and guiding them in a wonderful way.
Once we conducted a gospel meeting in a church in a tea estate. As we sang songs and started praying, the Lord led me to speak about a young man there who was taking efforts to end his life. I addressed him and told him that the Lord loved him and wanted to bless him. He was told that the Lord would exalt him if he gave up the idea of suicide. This man had decided to commit suicide by consuming poison because of a feud with his family. As he heard the words, he questioned whether the words were addressed to him. The Holy Spirit revealed his frame of mind too and made it clear to him. He then gave up the idea of suicide and came to the church where we were conducting the meeting. At the end of the meeting, he committed to live for Christ and for ministry. He who was to commit suicide became a servant of God.
Dear child of God, do you want to commit suicide because of struggles in life? Are you facing defeat? Are you in affliction? The Lord God loves you. He wants to take you out of this situation, to choose you and to use you for His glory. Today decide to turn to Christ and to love Him and to obey His words. You will see miracles happen to you.
4. Those of No Worth
“and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are” (1 Corinthians 1:28).
Dear child of God, whom does the Lord choose? Do you think He chooses the wise and the best talented? No. The Bible says: “But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence” (1 Cor. 1:27-29). Yes, He chooses the unworthy and uses them for accomplishing His plan. He chooses the weak and the humble. Today you may think that you have no beauty, no complexion, no education, no status, no help from anyone. Do not be dismayed.
Once a father had come to a meeting disparaged at heart that he was old and that his daughter was not then married. He was burdened at heart as to when she would get married. As she was black complexioned, he had doubts whether she would have a good life or anyone would marry her. Seeing his heart, the Lord said that He would do more than what he imagined or prayed for. Thus, she was married to a good doctor, according to the plan of the Lord. The Lord fulfils His plan, choosing the base things and the despised.
The Lord God sent Prophet Samuel to the house of Jesse the Bethlehemite to choose one of his sons as king. He obeyed and went there. He invited Jesse and his sons to the sacrifice he was to make to the Lord. When he looked at his sons, he enquired the Lord whom He chose among them. The father made his seven sons go before him. God chose none of them. “For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). Then Samuel enquired him whether there was anyone else. That was David tending sheep in the wilderness. He was not invited by the father for the sacrifice. But the Lord chose him. “So I will take you, and you shall reign over all your heart desires, and you shall be king over Israel” (1 Kings 11:37). Thus the Lord chooses the insignificant and sidelined.
5. Godly Ones
“But know that the Lord has set apart for Himself him who is godly; The Lord will hear when I call to Him” (Psalm 4:3).
The Lord chooses people in this world to be godly. Godliness is not outward. It pertains to the inner life. There are many in this world who appear to be godly. God requires us to be holy in Christ and to be like Him in acts of kindness. “Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world” (James 1:27). Today we find many people starting well in life and involving in acts of kindness, but after a time get entangled in sin and remain in sin. Thus the name of the Lord is blasphemed. We should help the poor, the despised, the weak and those in trouble and tears; but at the same time there should be a pure heart, the holiness that the Lord loves. The Lord chooses such people for His ministry and blesses them with spiritual gifts to make them do the ministry enthusiastically.
He is holy and wants us to be holy. He said so. To make us holy, He shed His blood for us on the cross. Whoever accepts to be cleansed with His blood will be filled with the love of the cross. They will be chosen by the Lord for His ministry. To be filled with His love, we should forsake ourselves and our interests and possessions to cling to Him and to suffer for Him. He helps us to live for Him peacefully in the midst all discouraging circumstances.
Paul says, “For the love of Christ compels us” (2 Cor. 5:14). He did not consider his godly life, or his weaknesses and other circumstances. We know how he carried out his ministry in Christ. Let us also commit to be godly.
II. Chosen for what purpose?
1. Fruit Bearing
“You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.” (John 15:16).
Do we bear fruit in our lives? The Lord Jesus Christ said, “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire” (Matt. 7:19). The Bible mentions that the Lord chose us to bear good fruit within us. In Hebrews we read “Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name” (Heb. 13:15). We do thank people with a joyful heart from whom we have received help. Do we thank the Lord of lords for protecting us as the apple of the eye? In Romans 1:21, we are warned, “because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.” When we praise Him, we glorify Him. Paul counsels, “in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thes. 5:18). Psalm 50:23 says, “Whoever offers praise glorifies Me.” Let us therefore glorify God through our praises; this pleases the Lord.
If we have the spiritual fruit mentioned in Galatians 5:22 & 23, we would have a pleasant and exalted life of joy. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.” When these fruit multiply, we will be transformed unto the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4) and would exhibit the qualities of God to this world.
Fruitless life is dangerously entangled in struggles and tribulations. Matthew 21:19 records what Jesus Christ did to a fruitless fig tree: “And seeing a fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, “Let no fruit grow on you ever again.” Immediately the fig tree withered away.” Curse descends. Dear child of God, let us commit to be worthy of bearing good fruit.
If we continue to bear bitter fruit, we would lose the blessings of the Lord. In Isaiah 5:4, the Lord raises the question: “What more could have been done to My vineyard that I have not done in it? Why then, when I expected it to bring forth good grapes, did it bring forth wild grapes?” Then He proceeds to answer it Himself: “And now, please let Me tell you what I will do to My vineyard: I will take away its hedge, and it shall be burned; And break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down. I will lay it waste; It shall not be pruned or dug, But there shall come up briers and thorns. I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain on it” (Isaiah 5:5-6). We lose the blessings and curse descends on us. We who are to wield authority over serpents (Luke 10:19) would be trampled by others. Psalm 91:13 says: “You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra, The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.” We would lose this authority.
There would also arise an uncomfortable, thorny course of life. Paul mentions in his epistle: “And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure” (2 Cor. 12:7).
2. Sharp-toothed Weapon
“Behold, I will make you into a new threshing sledge with sharp teeth; You shall thresh the mountains and beat them small, and make the hills like chaff.” (Isaiah 41:15).
The purpose of God choosing you is to make you work for Him by renewing your strength. For a machine to work properly, its wheels should have sharp pegs that fit with the other wheels properly. Similarly, the Lord makes you into a proper tool for His job. You will be renewed in your body, soul and spirit with new strength to work for Him efficiently. Whatever be the problems you encounter, you would overcome them with ease.
3. To Exercise Authority
“Then He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach, and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons” (Mark 3:14-15).
The Lord Jesus Christ chose His disciple so that they may be with Him to be trained, and then to be sent to preach with authority over sickness and demons. He wants to be with us. The Almighty Lord Jesus Christ has chosen us with the desire to remain with us. When we remain with Him, we will be blessed and would rejoice. By being with Him, we are blessed and exalted.
We are duty-bound to preach His word in all possible ways. Paul instructs Timothy: “Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching” (2 Tim. 4:2). We have been chosen to share His word as well as His works of miracles done to us. His words are spirit and life. By that people are saved, comforted, counselled and they know the way they should take. Some are cautioned. He sends His word and heals us too. Thereby we have the fullness of joy.
Moreover, we are chosen to be sent. Both in the Old and New Testaments we read about many saintly persons who were sent. Jonah was sent to the great city Nineveh to warn the people about the impending disaster. As the people repented, and gave up their evil ways, they were blessed. The whole city accepted the Lord God.
Moses was chosen to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. In Exodus 3:10 the Lord says, “Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” He was sent to deliver the Israelites from the slavery of the Egyptians. Many men of God came from different nations like England to India and by their efforts many educational and medical institutions came into being. Even today the purpose of His sending is to declare Him. We are chosen and sent on His behalf.
He sends us with authority to cast out devils, and to heal the sick.
As said in 1 Peter 2:9, we “are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”
Let us know the purpose of our being chosen and dedicate ourselves to serve Him fully. The name of the Lord will be glorified.
May the Lord bless us so!
In the service of Jesus Christ,
Bro. C. Ebenezer Paul.
