Chosen

Ephesians 1: 4-6 has come to mind several times over the last few months, the Lord says through Paul "just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him.  In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved."  At first it was easy to read this Scripture as text without getting the picture/revelation of what that really means for me.  I have always loved the story of the prodigal son and especially when the prodigal comes to his senses and the father runs out to him while he was still a long way off.  As I have been in this season of having difficulty resting and sleeping well, the Lord has been sifting out anxieties, worries, and fears.  I came to see that being chosen was something I really struggled with on a heart level.  The Lord worked through my marriage to expose that I was afraid to fully love because there was a deep-seated fear that this love would not be returned.  I began to see that I even felt this with the Lord, that I would love Him but He wouldn't love me back and then I would be heartbroken.  Through childhood rejections I had learned how to put a protective shell over my heart so I wouldn't get hurt again but this shell also has kept out those who loved me.  As I reflected on the passage in Ephesians 1 I realized that being chosen was not a minor issue but one of the most important truths in this New Covenant in Jesus Christ.  All the blessings and promises depend on a person being included in the Covenant through the blood of Jesus Christ.  If I choose God always trying to get in but He never chooses me then it is all my religious performance.  If I am a servant, then I can serve God without really knowing Him but if I am a son then intimacy is implied in the position.  If you have not had the experience of being chosen but most of your experiences were one of rejection, exclusion, and judgement then it is hard to receive these verses.  On a logical basis I could agree with Ephesians 1, my heart was far from this revelation because of all the rejection of the past.  When we adopted my son from Kazakhstan around 5 years ago it was certainly a wild journey to choose him.  There was the journey in prayer, discussions, lots of paperwork, praying through possible referrals, and then more paperwork.  This was the birthing process in our hearts coming to fruition, until we finally chose my son when we got the referral.  We felt so utterly weak when it came to choosing a child to be our son, so we put our trust in the Lord's guidance and even the Lord's word spoken through others.  I can still remember to this day when I opened up the email from our adoption agency of the referral, I looked at the picture and tears came to my eyes as my heart lept inside.  This is my son!  We had actually had two other referrals of two different little boys but there was no peace that these were our son.  We came to peace as we prayed and lifted these children up to be chosen by other parents.  Looking into the eyes of that boy in the picture, my heart already began to bond.  I tell you this story because this formerly orphan heart needed to be taught about being chosen, because I like my son didn't have a home for my heart.  Many seek security through good circumstances, a certain amount of money, a secure job, or even a spouse.  God's offer of security is finding a secure place in His heart as one of His sons or daughters, but we must be chosen.  How does God choose His sons or daughters?  I bet you there is no formula because God is so creative.  We must be free to choose because love is built on freedom, not coercion or manipulation.  Legalism cannot produce sons and daughters but only obedient servants that don't know the Father's business.  Where are you on your journey of being chosen by the Father?

Chosen In Christ,
Bret