God Chose You
Pick a bible verse-any verse. Which one is your favorite? Which one is the most important? The bible is chock full of verses we love to use to support our beliefs and encourage us. Conversely, there are verses we love to use to condemn others when we feel wronged. No other book has so many “nuggets” we can pull from to inspire people or tear them down.
No matter how we use the words written in the bible (and we should use them to edify others and ourselves), we must remember the books of the bible were written to show us God’s authority over mankind. God’s redemptive plan is part of this, but the bible preeminently declares God’s authority over us. As you read the bible, keep in mind the verses we all love (and the one’s we aren’t comfortable with) weren’t marked as “verses” until 1551. As such, we must remember the bible flows together as a whole-we shouldn’t cherry pick verses and take them out of the context for our own gain; each verse is part of a specific thought pattern the writer is trying to convey. Perhaps no other verse better declares God’s rulership over his people (us) as this one:
1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1).
This verse forms the foundational theme of the bible: God created. God chose to make the universe. He chose to make earth. He chose to make mankind. Everything that flows from creation is God’s. The amazement we feel when we look up to the stars, the feelings of awe we have when we look at natural wonders, or the beauty we see in something created by mankind-this all flows from God’s creational power. When we look in incredulity at human creation-think the Great Wall of China, the Golden Gate Bridge, or Stonehenge-remember: God created the minds that made those objects. God is the uncreated creator of the universe. If He can make everything in existence we should rest assure that we are in confident hands believing in Him. We don’t have to understand everything about creation to know that a being far greater than us created it. In much the same way, when we walk on the beach and see a sandcastle, we know that an intelligent mind shaped it-even if we don’t see anybody around.
God loves us. He created us-the first verse of the bible declares He created the universe we live in. He made a planet perfectly suited for us to live. God chose us-me, you, and everyone around us to live on earth and have the chance to know Him. Give Him a chance-whether you are a decades-old believer, new to the faith, or still figuring things out-each day, each moment is a fresh opportunity to choose to be in fellowship with our creator. God chose you to be here. Let us choose him and live our lives for his glory.