Choosing or Chosen
GOD’S WORD: “You [insert your name] have not chosen me, but I have chosen you and appointed you, that you should go and bear fruit; and that whatever you ask the Father in my name He may give you. These things I have commanded you, that you may love one another.” – John 15: 16-17
By Glenn Miller
Inside my Bible is a laminated bookmark that reminds me daily of the above verse; that before the beginning of time, God chose me to love, serve and obey Him. I can’t but to think of the old spiritual, “I Have Decided to Follow Jesus” each time I read that bookmark.
For me, following Christ is something that I have to choose to do each and every day. The world stands ready to continually tempt me into following the ways of the world rather than God’s ways. Following Christ is something that I have to constantly be aware of. That’s where piety and perseverance come into play.
As time goes on and I mature in my faith, I realize how much my consciousness and my reflective actions have performed a paradigm shift. As a teenager and young adult, my conscious actions followed along the path of immediate gratification, comfort and convenience. As I become older, I become more attuned to the affect my actions have on others around me and upon my relationship with God. Granted, this shift was more a product of “life lessons learned the hard way” rather than just an academic awareness!
Nonetheless, as for the moment and hopefully throughout this day, I have decided to follow Jesus.
Won’t you join me?
