Chosen

Prov.25:² “It is God’s privilege to conceal things and the king’s privilege to discover them.”

A lot of people feel guilty when they miss their quiet time. As though God will go hungry because they did not do their quiet time. Why do you feel guilty? You should actually feel sorry for yourself. Have I ever missed my quiet time? Yes, I have. Do I feel guilty when I miss my quiet time? No, at all!  Why would I feel guilty? I see my quiet time as a privilege, a privilege I do not ever want to miss. When you miss a privilege, you actually feel sorry for yourself. When you begin to see your quiet time as a privilege, you will not want to miss it. You prioritize meeting up with your quiet time not because you have to keep the Law or check it off your checklist, or because if you miss it you are going to feel guilty all day, and not because doing it will give you peace. You prioritize meeting up with your quiet time because it is a privilege to sit before God.

Eph.3:⁸ “Though I am the least deserving of all God’s people, he graciously gave me the privilege of telling the Gentiles about the endless treasures available to them in Christ (emphasis added). The truth is that the older you grow in God, the humbler you become. Paul had in previous writings said, “I am the least of the apostles” but in this passage, he says, “I am the least deserving of all God’s people.” This is the same Paul that started off by boasting about the stock he is of, the tribe he is from – the Jew of a Jew, Pharisee of Pharisee. Later on, in his ministry, he said what do the other apostles know that he does not know. Which of them can stand beside him? As he grew in God and in humility, he said, I am the least of all these apostles. And as he grew even more in God, he said, I am not only the least of the apostles, I am the least of God’s people.

When you still feel that you are better than someone, it shows how far you are from God. When you still feel in your heart of hearts that you are superior to certain people, it shows how distant you are from God. The closer you are to God, the more you are quick to recognise any honour that God gives you as an honour. Eph.3:⁹ “I was chosen to explain to everyone this mysterious plan that God, the Creator of all things, had kept secret from the beginning.” (emphasis added).  In other words, Paul was saying it was not his success at exams that qualify him for what he is doing, but rather God’s choice. It was the person that chose me that qualified me, not myself.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, I thank You for choosing me and qualifying me. I admit that I could never have chosen You or qualified for the honours You confer on me, in Jesus Name. Amen!