He Picked Me!

by Ricky Chelette, Executive Director

Can you remember that time when teams were picked? A group gathered, "captains" were selected, and the process began. You stood, vulnerable and hopeful. Would they call your name? You prayed you weren't the last pick, but last was better than not to be picked at all. In those brief moments, you believed your worth depended on the mention of your name.  

Ephesians 2 is about being picked. Take a moment and read the chapter. It is a treasure-trove of rich, biblical theology that fills volumes of scholarly work too great for us to cover in this devotional. But within this passage, there are a few profound truths that fill my heart with wonder, gratitude, and praise for the ones who didn't get picked. Maybe you are one too. Here's what grabbed me: 

1.  The truth is, I shouldn't make the team. I'm wicked through and through (2:1-3). God sees it. He knows my sins, the obvious ones, and the hidden ones. He sees every sin, and He sees yours.

2. God sees something in me that I don't see in myself (4-10). I don't have the skills, the perseverance, the determination, or the will, but that's okay with Him. He's initiating in me something I can't even imagine, given from His heart, because of His great love.  It is a gift, not based on my labor but His amazing love. And He has a plan for me, a plan He made before I was even a thought, and He empowers me to accomplish it. 

3. God sees that I was outside the circle of the "chosen" (11-17) And rather than demand I prove my worth by performing, a request He knew would bring greater anxiety, He offered me peace (16-17).

4. God chose me, called me near to Himself and to others of His family, and adopted me into His household – as a real part of His family – and He put His Spirit within me.

I can hardly get my mind around the work Christ had to do to pick me to be a part of His family, but the entire Bible gives testimony to His work of love.  The prophecies, the promises, and the pain of His crucified and then resurrected body, cause me to be overwhelmed with praise and gratitude!   My worth is not in the mouth of men, but in the choice of my Savior, Jesus Christ, who knows me and calls me His own. 

Have you based your worth on man's estimation of your abilities? Have you been striving to be good enough, holy enough, committed enough, or worthy enough?  You can't do it. The Bible says we can't earn our way into God's family.  But if you believe in Him, you will hear His voice calling your name today.  When He picks you, will you follow? 

United We Stand... Against God

by Ricky P. Chelette, Executive Director

The story of the tower of Babel is one of those ancient biblical texts, too familiar, and rarely fully understood. If you've never read it, give it a read. It can be found in Genesis 11:1-9.  Here's the gist of the story:  After the flood that destroys most of humanity over their wickedness, faithful Noah and his family begin the repopulation of the earth at the command of God.  You would think that after being witness to such raw power and catastrophic devastation (the flood), every succeeding generation would have trembled at their inclination towards evil and embraced obedience to God – but life is rarely that linear or straightforward.  

But despite Noah's great story of salvation and redemption, the sin-sick reality of our Adamic condition continues to shine through humanity's existence. 

Like our father, Adam, we continue to believe that we have a better way of doing things than simply trusting in God's instruction. Rather than obey the commands Noah's family received in 9:1 (the very same command Adam and Eve received in Gen. 1:28), Noah and his descendants decide not to scatter but to gather in one localized clan.  You can't fill the earth if you are not spreading out throughout the earth.  

It doesn't seem like that big of a deal to 21st-century readers, but God saw beyond their disobedient actions to their sinful hearts and His bigger plan for redemption. He always does. Though they had labored and built a fine city with a tower reaching towards the heavens, this was not what God commanded of them.  As they built, their pride grew.  They, like Adam and like us, believed the praise of accomplishment was greater joy than the pride-crushing obscurity of obedience.

In an act of great mercy, and within His salvific plan or redemption, God spared sinful man annihilation and confounded their language, forcing them to do what He had so kindly commanded them to do. Soon the earth would be filled with various tribes and tongues who would, upon His return, eventually praise the name of their Redeemer.

The brilliance of God's scattering ensured that one united clan, indwelt with Adamic sin, would not be able to snuff out the message of redemption. A remnant of God's faithful would always prevail. Eventually, the message of the gospel would be fully revealed in Christ for a final chance for salvation to all who would, by faith, entrust their lives to Him. Out of confusion and chaos, He brings order and redemption.

What is God asking you to do?  How have you resisted Him? Are you working for Him or against Him? Thank Him for His grace and patience with you and decide today to follow Him wholeheartedly.