You Are Chosen

“‘Give us a king to lead us.’ ‘When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, and the LORD will not answer you in that day.’ But the people refused. ‘The LORD answered, ‘Listen to them and give them their king.’” 1 Sa. 8:6, 18, 22.

It is hard to believe that God moved heaven and earth to free the Israelites only to have them searching to exalt someone over them in an effort to be defined. They wanted a king who would make them more like the other nations, and similar instead of being set apart. God gave them over to their desires but warned them first through Samuel that when the day of despair came resulting from their desires, He would not answer their cry. This does not mean that God will not deliver us from our idols for which we have exalted, but means that there will be a ‘season’ wherein we will have to experience the consequences of our choices.

We must live our lives according to who God says we are. We are chosen by Him! The other day my daughter searched over many pictures of puppies to find the perfect one. After hours of searching she finally chose one to enter into her family. As much as I was loved by my parents they did not choose me. They chose to have a second child but didn’t actually select me personally. Our heavenly Father actually chooses us for His family before we are cute and cuddly, and before we have that sweet baby scent. He chooses us while we lack purity. ‘But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.’ Romans 5:8. Through His death He chose us and placed that sweet new birth scent upon our lives.

1 Peter 2:9 describes who we are as defined by God. ‘But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wondrous light.’

We cannot exalt the things of earth above the God who created them. We must define ourselves and our lives by God’s perception and not the perception of the world.

Remember…we already have a king!