Chosen, Not Earned

"See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him."
1 John 3:1 (NIV)

When was the last time someone looked at you like you were exactly who they wanted, no explanation needed?

I heard about a little boy who was being teased at school because he was adopted. Finally, he got fed up, looked at the kids laughing at him, and said, “You can say whatever you want to. All I know is my parents chose me. Yours couldn't help but have you.” 

That's exactly the love John is pointing at when he writes that God has called us His children, and so we are. The first word he uses is the word “see,” and it’s not a casual glance. The word is better translated as "behold”: stop everything and look at this. Why? Because the kind of love John is asking us to stop and stare at is a rare Greek term used only seven times in the New Testament. It means “out of this world”. 

He's describing a love so far outside the category of normal love that the only honest response is to stop moving and stare at it.

God didn't have to call you His child. He could have called you a servant, and that would have been generous. He could have called you a minister, and that would have been an honor. Instead, He uses the most intimate word available to Him, the one word that claims you as His own, forever.

John never got over that word. He writes this letter as an old man exiled on the island of Patmos, sixty years after the crucifixion, near the end of his life, and the wonder still hasn't worn off.

Freddie Gage, a man who has been like a spiritual father to me, once said, "James, do you know what's wrong with the average Christian? They got saved, but they got over it." John never got over it. Don't let yourself get over it either.

You weren't picked because you were impressive. You were picked because He wanted you.

Maybe today you feel more like an orphan than a son or daughter, still waiting for someone to walk in and choose you. He already did. You can stop looking at your past like proof you weren't wanted, and read this verse instead until it settles the question for good.

Behold. Stop everything and look at this. You are not a servant who earned a place. You are a child who was chosen.

Prayer: Father, thank You that I am Yours. You called me and chose me. I forget that some days. Remind me today that You chose me, not because I impressed You, but because You wanted me. Let that settle any rejection or insecurity I’ve carried too long. In Jesus' Name, Amen.