Jesus said, “You did not choose Me but I
chose you” (John 15:16). This statement could ruffle some feathers because we
always want to be the ones doing the choosing. Providing choices has become a
marketable asset, from the supermarket’s staggering array of options to the
infinite amount of choices we make each day concerning what we will eat, wear,
and visit.
Inversely, not being chosen can have its
negative sides. A humiliating childhood memory concerns recess when I was the
last kid chosen for a team activity. Worse than being chosen last, I felt
merely tolerated by my teammates.
Our desire to be chosen is why Gospel
stories such as the parable of the ninety-nine sheep are so powerful for many
of us. Jesus left all the rest and came looking for me! Amazing things happen
when Jesus calls a person by name. To be named is to be called; to be called is
to be chosen; to be chosen is to be claimed. When Peter, James, and John heard
their names, each of them immediately abandoned what they were about, all that
they had, and whom they had become. Jesus has this uncanny ability to make a
person feel chosen.
-- W. Paul Jones in Becoming Who God Wants You to Be
#3829
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