God Speaking

“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 wonderful light.”

(1 Peter 2: 9)

My two youngest grandchildren are very involved in sport, and both loves playing soccer and basketball.  When they come to see me, I love to hear about their games and how their skills are improving, but the most exciting stories they want me to hear is when they move up to a higher grade and they are notified that they have been chosen to join the new team.

There is always something wonderful when we hear we have been chosen. I can remember times in my own childhood when I heard those special words and the glow I felt, but nothing can compare with the incredible, wonderful feeling when we hear the whisper from Our Heavenly Father that he has chosen us to be his beloved child.  John tells us this amazing truth in the gospel of John. 

“Yet to all that received him, to those who believe in his name, he gave the right to be children of God.” (John 1: 12)

When we join a team in sport, we are not just there to show how skilled we are to be praised, we pull together with the other players, scoring goals, but also helping others to score goals for the whole team. It is much the same when we are chosen to be children of God, we join a family, not because we are special but because of the wonderful task of supporting others as we all spread the good news of Jesus Christ our Saviour. 

When we join the family of God, we all have different gifts given by Our Father, to unite us together for his glory. Paul tells us how these gifts combine, to form a strong voice in the world.  

“So, in Christ we who are many forms one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts according to the grace given us.” (Romans 12: 5 – 6)

Paul goes on to list the different gifts, but the important thing to note is that no gift is to be thought to be better than any other. Unfortunately, we can slip into this idea and start comparing ourselves to others in the family and think we haven’t as much to contribute as others do. The important thing to remember is to use our gift, and we all have been given a gift, to lovingly serve him. 

Then we only need to remember that we have been chosen, we are a beloved child of God, loving him and following him is what pleases him.