Chosen Before He Chose Me.

“…just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love,”

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭1‬:‭4‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

God chose [eklegomai] us in Jesus before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before Him in love. We were chosen [eklegomai] to be HOLY and BLAMELESS in love.

ek-leg’-om-ahee

To pick out, choose; to pick or choose out for oneself:

1. Choosing one out of many, i.e., Jesus choosing His disciples

2. Choosing one for an office

Application: I did NOT choose myself to be in Jesus. Jesus CHOSE me. It was HIS decision. He CHOSE me FOR HIM(self). I have been HANDPICKED by Jesus.

That same word [eklegomai], used in this text, can be found in Luke 10:42, which details Mary sitting at the feet of Jesus, continually listening to His teachings, while her sister was struggling in the kitchen, distracted by her many tasks connected to serving. The Bible says Mary CHOSE the better thing. She made the right CHOICE. I imagine the scene: Martha struggling to multitask: setting the table, baking the biscuits and the fish and the beans; she’s trying to hook Jesus and His people up with a good meal. I picture her feeling the weight of her tasks and realizing, “My sister is supposed to be helping me!” And so, finally, she walks up to Jesus and says, “Don’t You care that my sister has left me in the kitchen struggling by myself? Tell her to give me a hand. Tell her to help me so that this can get done quicker. Please.”

Martha invited Jesus. Mary chose Jesus.

The funny thing is that Scripture reports that Martha was the one who invited Jesus into their home. Martha invited Jesus. Mary chose Jesus. I think about being in church, where we invite Jesus into the House of the Lord, and how we can invite Him in and give Him a seat, yet not choose Him. I think about the prayers we pray for Jesus to be in our homes and how we can invite Him in, yet refuse to choose Him. He is the better thing. I think about how we’ve invited Jesus into our hearts, asking Him to live on the inside of us, to be enthroned there, yet we do not choose Him every chance we get. We refuse to abide (John 15).

The Better Thing.

Jesus’ response to Martha’s request to make Mary help her serve was that Mary made the right choice. He tells her, “You’re upset about many things. But one thing is necessary, and Mary has chosen the right thing. Mary has chosen the right One.” Furthermore, Jesus says the choice that she made, the portion that she chose, will NOT be taken away from her. She handpicked Jesus out of many. Out of all that she could have been doing in that moment, of all the things she could have chosen, she picked out Jesus for HERSELF. She eklegomai’d Jesus.

Jesus CHOSE Mary, so Mary CHOSE Jesus.

Jesus CHOSE me, so I CHOOSE Jesus.

It is possible to be saved by grace and miss the better thing.

Chosen before I Chose Him.

The question is: Do I handpick Jesus every day? Is He the One I choose out of many?

A dream comes to mind from when I was 18 or 19. In my reality, I felt so lonely and forgotten by God. I turned to sexual sin to find comfort. I turned to binge-watching shows and hours and hours of video gaming. It felt like I was sinking deeper and deeper into darkness as time went on. I wasn’t taking calls from family members, and my communication with God was surface-deep. One day, I finally confessed to the Lord that I was at the end of my rope. I prayed, “Father, if You don’t pull me out of this mucky mess I put myself in, I won’t be able to make it in this life.”

A few moments later, I went into a deep sleep. I began to dream. I was in an apartment building, and I was located on the highest floor. I know that because I was in a bedroom with my mom, and we were looking out the window. Outside, it looked like an unfamiliar city. There were dirt roads, dusty and packed with people from another land. The environment seemed Eastern-like. We looked out at the people and saw that they were surrounding someone. My mom pointed out the window and calmly said, “There He is. That’s Him. That’s Jesus.” My eyes landed on the back of His head. I was amused that He was at our location. I was not blown away that I was in the same vicinity as Jesus the Christ; I was just amused. I did not run to greet Him, meet Him, or see Him up close. It was as if it were an everyday occurrence. How easy it is to be amused by the King but not consumed by the King.

As I was looking at the people surrounding Jesus and observing His posture, I saw His head whip around to look directly at me. We were so high up; I don’t even know how He was able to see me.

Our eyes locked.

There was such fierce determination in His face. His expression was so serious and focused at that moment.

My heart jumped.

I had the attention of Jesus, and I didn’t want it. All of a sudden, Jesus began to push past the people surrounding Him. He disappeared into the building we were in. I heard my mom say, “Well, here He comes,” in a very “ready-or-not” kind of tone. She left me alone in that room and went into another. I faced the bedroom door. My heart was racing. I knew Jesus wasn’t going to hurt me; I just didn’t want to face Him. I was aware of my sin, my sadness, and everything else that was my reality at the time.

I heard His footsteps climbing the stairs. He was swift. There was so much authority behind every step. I could hear it from where I was standing. All I could do was wait. There was nowhere to run, and my mom certainly wasn’t going to save me.

Jesus made it to the top, came to the bedroom door, and headed straight toward me. The fierceness in His eyes remained. I was His focal point, His Choice.

I didn’t say a word.

He got closer, and I closed my eyes. I felt Jesus wrap His arms around me so tightly. He began to speak in an unknown tongue over me. He was praying. He intercedes for me. I felt us spinning while He healed me. I felt something happening on the inside of me while He held me. There was peace. There was protection. There was love. I felt so safe.

And then I woke up.

Choose Jesus

Jesus was so determined to get to me and hold me in my darkest hour. So many weights were lifted off of me through that experience. It transcended my reality. Jesus chose me even when I did not choose Him. He picked me out of many.

There is such a thing as being in close proximity to Jesus and not choosing Him. Instead of choosing the better thing, we choose counterfeits. False comforts. Temporary fixes. But thankfully, we have a Lord who intercedes for us, pursues us, and chooses us always.

A beautiful prayer that helps us in our relationship with Christ: Holy Spirit, help me to love Jesus the way He desires to be loved. Help me to choose Him at all times. Help me to abide in Him forever. In Jesus’ name, Amen.