When we feel the rejection of the world, we can remember that Jesus chooses us. When we believe the lie that Jesus is on the sidelines, we can remind ourselves that he is chasing us. He initiates a relationship with us. He invites us to experience his grace. We are the ones who sideline him, forget about him, run away, try to hide, and ignore him.
He is the only one in our lives who will consistently pursue us even when we reject him. Jesus’s love for us compels him to pursue us to no end. So, while it may feel trite at first to hear that Jesus is always reaching out when everyone else has rejected us, this truth actually carries an incredible weight. After all, when we die, it won’t be the people in our lives that testify to who we are in front of a holy God—it will be Jesus. And Jesus won’t tell God how awesome we are, he will show God how sufficient he is to make us holy. The Creator of the Universe, the King of Kings, the nothing-is-impossible God actually pursues us. I think you’d be surprised if your favorite celebrity called you up and asked you to have lunch. “What? Me? You’re choosing to have lunch with me of all people?” But it is even more shocking that the Great I Am would do everything in his power to have an intimate relationship with us. Famous people are made famous by their fans, God has been great for all of eternity.
When we grasp the weight of being chosen, we can unite with our brothers and sisters who are also chosen. We could have nothing in common with them, but the thread that unites us all is that the God of the Universe has chosen us. We can unite under that identity and in the purpose he has given us to love one another. This is enough to sustain us when we get caught up in human rejection.
Reflection/Discussion Question: How does being chosen create unity among us as believers?
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