Before I Chose God, He Chose Me

In review of 1 Peter 1:2 I read, these words of encouragement, “You were chosen according to the purpose of God the Father and were made a holy people by his Spirit to obey Jesus Christ and be purified by his blood. May grace and peace be yours in full measure.” (GNT).

I can be encouraged by Peter's strong declaration that I am chosen by God. My salvation and security rest in God's merciful choice; no trials or persecutions can take away the eternal life he gives me. God the father chose me before I chose him. Jesus died for me while I was still a sinner and the Holy Spirit brings me the benefit of salvation and sets me apart for His service. Being chosen by the Father in no way removes the necessity for me to choose to follow. Because he knows all does not mean that he forced his action on me or left me without a choice.  

There are many people in this broken world asking why things don’t seem to go right so much of the time. They wonder and want to know, “Is there hope?”

What I’m learning is that hope is essential. I need genuine hope and not just optimism. Optimism is psychological. It’s based on the way I think. Hope is theological. It’s based on who God is and his relationship with me.

Optimism is positive thinking. Hope is passionate trusting.

The book of 1 Peter is a letter of hope. Peter wrote it to Christians who were suffering persecution in the Roman Empire. He said one reason we can have a radical hope is because God chose us before we chose him.

The Bible says, “You were chosen according to the purpose of God the Father and were made a holy people by his Spirit” (1 Peter 1:2a GNT).

My salvation is no accident. Long before I chose God, he chose me. It was his idea. Before God even created the universe, he decided he wanted to create me. I was chosen according to the purpose of God. He has a purpose for my life. He wants to make me holy (set apart) for heaven. Understanding this simple truth can give me hope.

The highest honor I will ever receive is this: God invites me to spend eternity with him and that’s a really big deal! It’s why I can have hope, no matter what’s going on in my life.

In summary, I am chosen according to the purpose of God, set apart by his Spirit to obey Christ who purified me by his blood. My salvation and security rest in God's merciful choice; nothing can take this away. Hope on my part is essential. I need a genuine hope and not just optimism. Optimism is based on the way I think, where as hope is based on who God is and his relationship with me. Optimism is positive thinking, whereas hope is passionate trusting. The reason for radical hope in my life is based on God choosing me. He has a purpose for my life and wants to set me apart for his use. Most importantly, no matter what's going on in my life, I have been invited to spend eternity with him.

Sometimes the pressure of life and what’s happening consumes me and I forget that one of the most important things, that God has invited me to be part of what he wants to accomplish and that I will get to spend eternity with him. As such, I can passionately trust that God is working in my best interest to grow me and to advance his Kingdom. I’m re-energized this morning with the reminder of the truth God has communicated to me today. It helps give me hope and courage to continue to do what I know is right, regardless of knowing what the outcome in my work will be. Father, thank you for this reminder of what you have done for me. I pray for the encouragement of this to help shape my day today and the weeks to come. I ask you for wisdom and guidance for my day, my tasks, my leadership and my interaction with others. These things I pray in your Son Jesus name, Amen.