July 19

Chosen And Placed

You did not choose Me, but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will remain—so that whatever you ask the Father in My name, He will give you. — John 15:16 BSB

We did not choose Jesus—that is the tragedy of the human heart, the blindness that sin causes, dulling our sight and hearing. To have missed Jesus, to have passed Him by, is like a pearl hunter failing to recognize the pearl of great price, or a mother not recognizing her own child, or a seeker of the Holy Grail failing to discover its mystical glow.

“But I chose you.” He chose us, not because of our worth, but likely because we were helpless and useless, and He wanted to display what His grace could achieve. As the prophet says, the branches of the vine are more useless than any others (Ezekiel 16:1-5). God’s principle is to choose what others reject—the firebrand snatched from the flames, the faintly smoldering wick, the bruised reed. He chooses the younger sons, the weak and despised, so that no flesh can boast in His presence.

God made no mistake in His foreknowledge of our election. He knew all that we were and all that we would become—our moments of failure, our hours of depression, our stubbornness, our wandering away—yet He did not falter in His choice. Having chosen us, He is determined to justify His decision, unless we actively resist His will.

“And appointed you.” Our Lord has placed us exactly where we are so that His abundant life may flow through us to the world. Don’t resent your situation or complain about your circumstances, but remember that He appointed you to be there. Just as a branch is fastened to a wall so it may grow and bear fruit, Christ has placed you where you are. The challenges you face are the nails that secure you, the trials are the restraints that mirror His own on the Cross.

“That you should go.” “Where, Master?” ... “Into all the world, as My disciples! I have chosen you from the world, and now I send you back into it as My representatives, to bear fruit for My glory.”

Prayer

Heavenly Master, by Your grace, help us to seize the opportunity and do the work You have given us. May we not grumble or complain because our place is unnoticed or the time is long, but help us to bear much fruit for Your glory. Amen.