“But you are
A CHOSEN RACE,
A ROYAL PRIESTHOOD,
A HOLY NATION,
A PEOPLE FOR GOD’S OWN POSSESSION,
that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were not a people,
but now you are the people of God;
you had not received mercy,
but now you have received mercy.”
(1 Peter 2:9,10)
Dear Friend,
I wrote "Chosen" years ago while studying the above passage from 1 Peter. The word "chosen" never ceases to thrill me!
(From "My Worth is Not in What I Own by Keith Getty and Graham Kendrick)
CHOSEN
We have all
experienced it at one time or another—not being chosen. Almost everyone has the story of gym
class. We were chosen last because we
HAD to be taken. Maybe you experienced
not being chosen more than you care to remember. Was it for a simple demonstration, or to help
a speaker? It didn’t matter, you
wouldn’t be chosen. Yes, your hand was
raised. But it didn’t matter. There was always a cute boy with freckles or
an adorable little girl in the most darling little outfit. Are you picturing this? Always there was someone with something
special. They were noticed, but you
weren’t. There isn’t anything special
about you, at least neither you nor anyone else has discovered it yet.
Have you
not been chosen in a large crowd, like to pet the whale at Sea World? Did you feel worse when you were not chosen
among your friends or among strangers?
Was it worse to be passed over in a crowd of one hundred or in a crowd
of thousands? Did you eagerly wait every
time that someone was to be chosen, or did you finally resign yourself to never
being chosen? Just when you had given
up, did hope ever rise within you?
Imagine
this…you are sitting among a crowd of several hundred people. The person in charge is selecting four or
five volunteers to participate in a game.
He comes to your section, but you don’t get excited. He looks in your direction, and against your
better judgment your heart beats a little faster. He points at you? No, not you, he is pointing to the person
behind you. You begin to stand up, but
then you realize the truth and sit down.
And the story goes on and on.
But for a
moment, forget all those times. Imagine
yourself in this situation instead.
There are thousands and thousands of people everywhere, and you are just
one of them. The speaker has everyone
talking. He is the most exciting thing
to come to town in ages. All of the
“right” people are clamoring to be near him.
They don’t always like him, but hey, he’s certainly popular right
now! When the speaker arrives, he begins
scanning the crowd.
“What are you doing?”
They ask.
“I’m looking for someone,” he replies.
“Let us help you. We
have several people in whom you might be interested. We are sure that you will find the one you
want.”
“No. I know the one
for whom I am seeking.”
“Wait a minute. You
don’t want to go over to THAT area.
Choose someone from over here.
Come back! What does he think
he’s doing?”
He walks
through the crowd, and all the right people look knowingly at him. They are all certain that they will be
chosen. But he passes each one without
comment. Before you fully realize what
is happening, he stops in front of you.
“I’ve chosen you. Get up and come
with me.” One of the leaders chuckles a
little nervously and indicates that the speaker might have made a mistake. He repeats, “Come with me. It is you that I want.” You begin to stand up and the people around
you start laughing. “What are you
doing? What qualities does this person
have? His clothes are messy and
outdated, and really don’t even fit right.
He wears glasses, and they don’t look right on his face. He always says the wrong things, and he will
embarrass you. Pick someone else.”
You are
standing there, and you are humiliated.
After all, the crowd is right.
And there is a lot more that they could have said about you. You begin to sit down; it’s the least that
you can do to get the speaker off the hook.
But he takes your hand. “I want
you. Come with me. Don’t listen to them.”
Just by
being chosen and agreeing to go with him, this man places the world in your
lap. He gives you a new name and a new
home. He gives you a coveted
citizenship, and a position with a title.
In fact, you share all his titles.
You share his name, his home, and his citizenship. All of the privileges that he enjoys, well,
you receive them too. Why were you
chosen? There is nothing special about
you. You did nothing to earn his
attention, but he chose you. Why were
you chosen? You were chosen because He
wanted you. He loved you. Isn’t that an answer enough? Now you ARE special. You are special because you are chosen. You are one of his and it shows in all that
you do and say.
Do you
think that this story is far-fetched?
Think of the ministry of Jesus on earth.
Did He take candidates for disciples at the local synagogue? Did He ask them to submit a resume with
references? Did He ask the priests to
recommend some young potentials? No, He
went on a search of His own. He went
through the working sections of town. He
found very un-special men doing very common tasks. Some of them were even despised or
disregarded. Jesus chose these men, not
because they were special in the eyes of the world, but because they were
special in God’s eyes.
There were
other un-special people that crossed the path of Jesus’ life. Think of the blind man on the road. He was bold enough to call out to Jesus for
help. I think that I wouldn’t have had
that courage. The people around him
laughed at him, yelled at him, and tried to quiet him. But Jesus saw and heard him. And Jesus reached out to this very un-special
man. His life was forever changed. He had been touched by Jesus.
The
examples could go on all day. Just take
a peek at the Gospels. Jesus
consistently found the unlovely and loved them.
There was the Samaritan woman, Zacchaeus, the lepers, the woman with
bleeding, Mary Magdalene. Jesus sought
them out. There were hundreds of people
with whom He could have eaten or talked.
But He had a purpose and a plan.
Have you
considered Jesus’ life? He was the
Chosen One, the Most Precious Son of the Father. He was God Himself, and He held the entire
world at His disposal. He was the
Undisputed King of All. Even angels
worshiped Him. Then He came to
earth. He exchanged all that glory to
become a nobody on earth. His birth was
unannounced, His ministry was in small towns, not in Rome, and His death was
quickly enforced. Not even in His death
was He given much recognition. It was
done speedily, with as few witnesses as possible. This is Jesus, the One who chose you.
Jesus chose
you, the least special person. He chose
you while you were of no value to anyone.
Jesus, the Most Valuable Chosen Son of God the Father, took your place. He became nothing so that you could become
everything. Jesus sought out the unloved
and the unlovely, and He loved them. How
special are you? You are SO special that
God sent His Son, His Only Son, to rescue you.
He died in your place, and now He is calling out to you. He calls you “Precious” and “Holy” and
“Chosen”. He gives you titles and
privileges and responsibilities fit for a child of the king, for that is what
you are. How special are you? You are CHOSEN. How special am I? I am CHOSEN!
“But you are a CHOSEN RACE, A ROYAL PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY
NATION, A PEOPLE FOR GOD’S OWN POSSESSION, that you may proclaim the
excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous
light; for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you
had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” (1 Peter 2:9,10)
I am sharing this song in video format, with the lyrics printed below. I never cease to be moved when I hear these words.
My Worth Is Not In What I Own
My worth is not in what I own
Not in the strength of flesh and bone
But in the costly wounds of love
At the cross.
My worth is not in skill or name
In win or lose, in pride or shame
But in the blood of Christ that flowed
At the cross.
I rejoice in my Redeemer
Greatest Treasure,
Wellspring of my soul
I will trust in Him, no other.
My soul is satisfied in Him alone.
As summer flowers we fade and die
Fame, youth and beauty hurry by
But life eternal calls to us
At the cross.
I will not boast in wealth or might.
Or human wisdom's fleeting light
But I will boast in knowing Christ
At the cross.
Two wonders here that I confess:
My worth and my unworthiness
My value fixed, my ransom paid
At the cross.
(Keith Getty, Kristyn Getty, Graham Kendrick, Fernando Ortega)
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