Wednesday Thought -- May 22, 2013

Good Morning Friends,

“Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To God’s elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, 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:” (1 Peter 1:1-2)

According to God those who are in Christ are special – chosen and elect by Him. We’re not chosen because of what we’ve done or who we are, but chosen by Who we know and Who we allow to know us. To be chosen means to be God’s favorites. It reminds me of how the angel addressed Mary when he came to tell her that she would bear the Christ child. He said to her, “Greetings, you who are highly favored!” (Luke 1:28) She was highly favored because God had chosen her to be His special instrument to accomplish His will. You and I, too, in Christ, are highly favored – special – chosen – to be God’s special instruments to accomplish His will.

Special to God – but peculiar to the world. We are strangers in this world. We’ve all probably known some folks who were not citizens of this country, who were raised in a foreign land and in a foreign culture. Sometimes they don’t talk like us. Sometimes they don’t act like us. Sometimes they don’t seem to understand what people in this country think and do. They are just different. And that’s how the world sees us – just different. Sometimes our language is different. Sometimes our actions are different. Sometimes we look at things from a different perspective from the rest of the world. Special to God – peculiar to the world.

Scattered all over. It’s not like God’s people are all in Oregon or all in America. God’s special people live in every area of the world and have lived in every epoch of time. Every skin color is represented among God’s special people – every language is spoken – every culture is represented. We’re all scattered, although that is but a temporary situation. There will come a day when God will gather His special people and we’ll all live together in eternity – but for now we are scattered so that the whole world can be impacted by God’s special people.

And we are an “in process” people. The Spirit is sanctifying us and the blood of Jesus is sprinkling us. God is working in our lives to change us to be more and more like Him. It’s not a work that is immediately done when we first come to Christ and it’s not a work that will be done even though we know Christ for 50 years or more in this world. We await the day when this life is over – that’s when God’s work in us and on us will be finished.

Special to God – peculiar to the world – scattered all over – and in process toward Christlikeness. That’s us – in Christ.

His, by Grace,

Steve