Chosen

My sister Ursula introduced me to the TV show The Chosen. It’s a show I can’t wait to re-watch with Caleb and Chiara once they are a little older. Even if I tried, I couldn’t tell you who my favourite character is. They have all grown to mean so much to me with each passing episode. I can say, though, that after three seasons, the character I most identify with is Philip. His encouraging spirit and willingness to learn are endearing. In all my years of learning and reading the gospels, I never paid much attention to Philip. Other than the account of him evangelising to the Ethiopian Eunuch, running after the Eunuch’s chariot and supernaturally overtaking it, the only other thing I knew of Philip was that the Holy Spirit teleported him. I always thought that was pretty cool.

Watching The Chosen, I have seen Philip, and every other character, in full view. With each episode watched, I search the scriptures to confirm many of the portrayed scenes and discover amazing things I had carelessly glossed over in the past. Above all else, my appreciation for the humanity of every character, including our Messiah, has grown. The reason for my laughs, tears and everything in between. What a gift it has been. What gets me every time is the reality that as Jesus’ disciples, the twelve were living each moment in real-time, they didn’t know what we know now and most of the time they were clueless. Regardless of their flaws, and they all had them, they were hand-picked, purposefully placed together for a revolution far beyond their wildest imaginations… Chosen.

You didn’t choose me, but I’ve chosen and commissioned you to go into the world to bear fruit. And your fruit will last because whatever you ask of my Father, for my sake, He will give it to you! ~ John 15:16 (TPT)

But you are God’s chosen treasure, priests who are kings, a spiritual “nation” set apart as God’s devoted ones. He called you out of darkness to experience his marvellous light, and now he claims you as his very own. He did this so that you would broadcast his glorious wonders throughout the world. ~ 1 Peter 2:9 (TPT)

Everyone is invited to enter in, but few respond in excellence. ~ Matthew 22:14 (TPT)

As we continue to reflect on the gift of Easter, I would like to take this opportunity to remind you that you too are chosen. Even on days when it doesn’t feel like it, best believe the maker of the universe carefully selected you for Himself. I have been thinking a lot about The Chosen, what set them apart and how they managed the weight of their selection to this new order of things. Many times, just as we do, they made assumptions, tried to make things make sense and just when they thought they had it all figured out, Jesus pulled a fast one on them. We all want to be chosen, yet we must recognise that being chosen is tough. There is a weight and a responsibility to it. How do we ensure that we respond to that responsibility in excellence as referred to in Matthew 22? How did those disciples of Jesus esteem the weight of their selection?

Remember that you are chosen

In my life, I have had times when it’s been difficult to maintain my footing on the foundation of the fact that I am chosen by God. Sometimes I feel like I need some external force to remind me of the truth I know somewhere deep within me. The funny thing is that our relationship with God usually doesn’t have those external signs. The more we mature in Him the less He has to externally prove His affection for us. Maturing or not, sometimes I just need a little something to remind me who He says I am. I imagine it was the same for the disciples, especially as they watched Jesus hang on the cross. After His death, they had no external representation of the fact that they were chosen. Chosen by who? The man in the tomb? What good was that? When they walked and talked with Jesus it was easy to feel chosen, now they had to search deep within themselves, recalling all the things Jesus had said to them. Isn’t that how it is with us? Thankfully we have the Word and the Holy Spirit to help us remember. Hiding God’s Word in our hearts for times when it is difficult to remember is crucial to our ability to respond to God’s call with excellence.  

Cherish your development season

We all desire to be chosen, whether it’s at work, school, in sports, by friends or by a love interest. Last time I checked, no one is chosen to just sit and do nothing. More often than not, we are chosen to do something. Whatever that something is, our desire to be chosen fuels us to put forth our best. Most times at least. When we are chosen by God, we are in for the ride of our lives. It’s a ride full of wonder, adventure, and trial and adversity. Our desire to be His chosen must fuel us from the inside. In my experience, I have found that this desire ebbs and flows. Like an unmanned fire, if left unattended for too long, the coals have the potential to dim until they go out completely. Romans 12 speaks on this when it says, don’t burn out; keep yourselves fuelled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant. Don’t quit in hard times; pray all the harder. By way of being chosen, we can expect some trying times. These trying times come to develop and mature us. If we can shift our mindsets from complaining to cherishing such times, it can make a world of difference in our execution of being chosen ones. I know it’s sometimes easier said than done, but those who have gone before us, Jesus and His disciples included, have shown by the testimony of their lives that this is not only possible, it is worth it.

Make the Holy Spirit your best friend

After Jesus was raised from the dead He made a point to inform His disciples that the Holy Spirit was coming. It was imperative that they not leave Jerusalem until this appointed time had come. Then and only then could they properly do what they had been chosen to do. Without the Holy Spirit, our callings as chosen ones will be very short-lived. He is the one who confirms from the inside, that we are children of God. Not in superficial spectacles as a show for others to see, but from the inside out. Furthermore, the Holy Spirit places His stamp of approval on us by His anointing. His desire to partner with us to do that which we were called and chosen to do is a sign to all that you are indeed chosen. This can’t happen if we are distant from Him. The Holy Spirit doesn’t do long-distance relationships. His raw ingredients are closeness, intimacy and submission, with which He does wonders for those who place their confidence in Him. Make Him your very best friend and see what manner of excellence will flow to you and through you.

Expect exploiters

Nobody wakes up saying, “Today is a great day to be exploited.” It is not something we go out looking for, but it is certainly something we should expect and prepare for. As followers of Jesus, we sometimes forget that if Jesus was exploited, so will we. The accounts of His life and ministry are an example to us of how we are to deal with such occurrences. Paul and other disciples of Jesus were exploited too. As chosen ones, there will always be iffy people hanging around trying to maximise the favour of God on your life for their own gain. This is again where friendship with the Holy Spirit is useful. Do you have any friends who are great at detecting BS a mile away? While you may be trying your best to walk in love, unaware of the ulterior motives of certain people, close friends who have your best interests at heart may speak up and tell you to keep your distance. The Holy Spirit does this too. Searching out the hearts and motives of men, He knows all things and if we are sensitive enough He will tell us whom we should keep at arm’s length. We can’t expect our lives to be completely exploiter free, what we can trust God for is His protection and wisdom to best navigate such people.

Being chosen is not about God playing favourites. It’s about making an intentional decision in your heart to be submitted enough to make yourself choosable. Just like it was for the disciples of Jesus, most times being chosen will only make sense later on. At the moment you may doubt, second guess and wonder what it all means. My encouragement to you is, to hang in there. Jesus rose from the dead so that we might know beyond a shadow of a doubt that He is who He said He is, and that being the case, you can trust Him to reveal to you in time, why He chose you.