John 15:16

If you are a follower of Jesus, you can probably remember the time when you chose to start following him. But one this is for sure: our step towards following Jesus came long after he took the first move towards us. What you and I did was merely responding to his love. He took the initiative. This is a really important point because, at times, it sounds as if we have done the Lord an enormous favour by following him. The reality is that we have simply responded to the love and grace he showed us long before we knew anything about him. As the apostle Paul put it in his letter to the church in Rome: “God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners” (Romans 5:8).

Because we have been chosen by God, we live lives of continual gratitude. God has showered his love upon us in a way we could never deserve. I love how the apostle Paul summarised this in his letter to the Ephesians. He wrote of the way in which we have redemption through the blood of Jesus: “the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished upon us with all wisdom and understanding” (Ephesians 1:7-8, NIV). That is to say, God has freely given us the best gifts he could possibly give, and there is nothing at all that we could ever do to deserve them. It is sheer grace.

Jesus chose us to be his friends and followers with a very specific purpose. He is looking for fruitfulness. He wants us to spread the good news, and live lives that share his love and grace with those around us. We can be sure that, because he has specifically chosen us for this role, he will perfectly equip us to do it.

QUESTION
How do you respond to the fact that the Lord has chosen you?

PRAYER
Loving Lord Jesus, thank you for calling me to follow you. Help me to walk faithfully in your way and trust you to equip me for every challenge I have to face. Amen

Released on 9 Aug 2023