“Even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blemish before him in love:” Ephesians 1:4 (ASV)
We all have moments in our lives when we have waited in nervous anticipation as to whether we were chosen. I watched my younger brother stand along a ball field fence as, one-by-one others were chosen for a team, waiting and feeling more defeated. I remember being excited to find out whether I had been chosen for a part in a play, and being so nervous that I may not have been, that I would wait until the school hall was completely empty before I went to the posted list to check. Then there are those job interviews. Yikes! Chosen – what if we weren’t good enough. Chosen – what if no one wanted us.
If only we could grasp the understanding that God chose us, “Before the Foundations of the World” (Eph 1:4), we would have such a different view of who we are. Scripture doesn’t say God chose us after we gave our life to Him, or after we proved we could be “good enough,” or after we had been in the church several years and working multiple ministries, or after we went to Seminary or . . . NO, God chose us BEFORE the Foundations of the World. Before there was light, before there was a sun, before there was a moon or stars or animals in the field or fish in the waters . . . God CHOSE Us! That takes my breath away!
But He didn’t just choose us to be his children, or to be His servants, He chose us to be “Holy and without Blemish before Him in Love” (Eph 1:4). That’s a tough one.
When I look in the mirror I see a lot of blemishes and disappointments and failures. Pressure’s on! How can I possibly be given the ultimate gift of being chosen by God and be such a mess? It can only be because of the Love of God Himself, who allows me to be the person I have allowed myself to be, making a way for me to step out of this moment in time and become all that He has meant for me to be.
God shows us that we must be “washed by the water of the word” (Eph 5:26), cleansing our past and allowing God to cleanse us to the point of being “Holy and without Blemish” (Eph 5:27). A holy priesthood (1 Peter 2:9) cleansed daily through Prayer and the Studying and Application of His Word. Daily preparing ourselves. Daily cleansing away the mistakes of daily life.
We are a chosen people, created to bless God and His precious son (Acts 10:41). A chosen people, set apart, to do the will and works of God (Isaiah 43:20-21). We must remain cleansed to be the hands and feet of God, who will take the Gospel to the hurting and wounded, not forsaking our call, but grasping tightly to the gift God has given us (Matthew 22:14), standing faithfully and committed to what we are called to do, recognizing the precious gift and privilege bestowed upon us (Revelation 17:14).
Lord, please help me to grasp the precious gift you have given me and rise above my own self-doubts of who I am. Help me to study and cleanse myself daily, so that I will always be prepared to step up to what you have set before me, gracefully accepting the call.
*A Journey Through Ephesians – Chapter 1, Part 2
Written by Linda J. Humes
7-6-2014
Linda J. Humes 