Make a difference – Day 2

… who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance. 1 Peter 1:2

Don’t you love to be chosen or singled out for an assignment? Someone has noticed your positive qualities and you meet the requirements for the task. You have the opportunity to take up the challenge and use your God-given talents to the full.

It doesn’t matter if we’re young and have been chosen for a team or older and chosen for a job, it’s an exciting, sometimes breath-taking moment; but when God is doing the choosing, it surpasses everything else! This is because he chooses from a position of complete knowledge and authority. Peter understands this and prays a blessing of grace and peace upon the ones God has chosen, the strangers in the world, because of God’s different values.

I love reading the account of Samuel choosing David as the new king, to take over from King Saul. Each of the sons of Jesse who appeared to have the right qualities was turned away, and Jesse didn’t even consider David in the choice. But, God did. He knew that David was exactly right for the position. His instruction to Samuel was: “Do not consider his appearance or his height … The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). When David was brought before him, Samuel knew that he was the one chosen by God.

And that is what the text today is about: being chosen to make a difference. Ahead of time, God knew our hearts and knew who would respond. The One who looks at the heart for qualities that only he can see, has chosen us and will qualify us in the task of making a difference for him in our life on earth. But the beauty of it is that it is all by his grace. We can never be suitable as sinful people, but when the Holy Spirit moves in us and leads us to confess our sins to Jesus, he makes us acceptable to him and transforms us; he saves us by his death and resurrection. We cannot make a difference before that happens.

Where do you stand?