I have been friends with Janet for almost twenty years. We met in church in Casper, Wyoming where both of our husbands had been transferred with their oil industry jobs. After our initial meeting, Janet began to call me to chat and invite me to lunch. Our friendship developed quickly and even though we have both moved several times over the years we’ve remained close. I’ll never forget something Janet told me a little while after our friendship was forged. “The first time I met you I decided I wanted you to be my friend. I picked you out.” She chose me. And I am so glad.
Think about a time when you were chosen. For a job. As a spouse. To be a leader. To be a friend. How did you feel about being chosen? If you are a Christian, how often do you think about the glorious truth that God chose you?
Long ago, even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. And this gave him great pleasure.
Ephesians 1:4-5, NLT
Believer, God chose you before the creation of the world. He picked you out for His very own, before you were even born. All of us were once spiritually dead because of our sin, but while we were still sinners, Jesus paid the penalty for our sin through His death on the cross. If you have accepted God’s gift of mercy, He has given you new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.
The fact that God chose you and loves you can sustain you through the difficult periods of your life. Times when you:
- Have been rejected by others
- You feel alone
- Have experienced failure
- When you’ve experienced loss
Believer, remember God loves you and chose you for Himself. You can stand firm in this truth even when things around you are falling apart.
What situation are you facing right now in which you need to remember that God loves you and has chosen you?
Note: This blog was adapted from Unshakeable Faith: 8 Traits for Rock-Solid Living by Kathy Howard, published by New Hope Publishers, 2011.
You can hear Kathy talking about Unshakeable Faith at New Hope Digital.
Also Sent Sat 5/12/12 http://www.eph2810.com/about/contact-me/
Our small summer study group is in the process of doing your “Unshakeable Faith” book and enjoying and every page! I really appreciate the format and the verses shared. I especially appreciated the God Can chart on page 32!
Elaine
Elaine, so glad the study has been encouraging to you and your ladies!