Latest / Still, Here / Chosen in Love – Love Beyond Measure

Transcript

Chosen in Love – Love Beyond Measure · Still, Here

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: This is still here.
• 0:03
  SPEAKER_00: A quiet moment to remember what is true.
• 0:07
  SPEAKER_00: Listen to these words from the book of Ephesians chapter 1 verse 4.
• 0:14
  SPEAKER_00: Even has He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world,
• 0:18
  SPEAKER_00: that we would be holy and without defect before Him in love.
• 0:25
  SPEAKER_00: Many people can still remember the uneasy feeling of waiting to be chosen for a team.
• 0:31
  SPEAKER_00: One name is called, then another.
• 0:34
  SPEAKER_00: You stand at the edge, hoping someone will see enough ability in you to give you a place.
• 0:41
  SPEAKER_00: When the choices grow fewer, embarrassment rises.
• 0:45
  SPEAKER_00: Being chosen last can feel like more than a small disappointment.
• 0:51
  SPEAKER_00: It can awaken the fear that everyone else sees what you have suspected.
• 0:56
  SPEAKER_00: You are not quite enough.
• 0:59
  SPEAKER_00: Life gives us many versions of that experience.
• 1:03
  SPEAKER_00: Schools,
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_00: workplaces, teams,
• 1:07
  SPEAKER_00: churches,
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_00: and organizations often choose people because of skill,
• 1:13
  SPEAKER_00: discipline, experience, appearance, influence, or promise.
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_00: We become accustomed to being evaluated.
• 1:22
  SPEAKER_00: We learn to compare ourselves before anyone else has the chance.
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_00: Then we bring that habit into our life with God.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_00: We look at another person's faith and wonder why ours does not seem as strong.
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_00: We notice their confidence,
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_00: their knowledge of Scripture,
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_00: their gift for prayer, their visible service, or the apparent order of their life.
• 1:49
  SPEAKER_00: Without realizing it, we begin to imagine that God must be more pleased with them.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_00: The small ruler says, Other people are more worthy of God's love and approval than I am.
• 2:04
  SPEAKER_00: Ephesians reaches behind every comparison and every opportunity to prove ourselves.
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_00: Paul says, God chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world.
• 2:17
  SPEAKER_00: Before you prayed, obeyed, served, succeeded, or failed.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_00: God's loving purpose already included you.
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_00: Nothing you accomplished convinced God to choose you.
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_00: Nothing another person accomplishes can reduce your place.
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_00: Divine love is not a scarce resource.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_00: God does not ration attention among the most impressive people in the room.
• 2:47
  SPEAKER_00: Paul says we are chosen to be holy and without defect before God in love.
• 2:53
  SPEAKER_00: Those final words matter.
• 2:55
  SPEAKER_00: Without love, holiness could become another entrance exam.
• 3:00
  SPEAKER_00: We could hear the verse as one more demand to become acceptable.
• 3:05
  SPEAKER_00: In love, the movement is different.
• 3:08
  SPEAKER_00: Holiness grows from being chosen.
• 3:11
  SPEAKER_00: It is the life God forms within people who have already been welcomed in Christ.
• 3:18
  SPEAKER_00: We do not become holy enough to earn a place.
• 3:21
  SPEAKER_00: We receive our place and grace begins shaping the way we live.
• 3:27
  SPEAKER_00: This releases us from spiritual competition.
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_00: Another person's maturity does not diminish you.
• 3:35
  SPEAKER_00: Their gifts do not threaten yours.
• 3:38
  SPEAKER_00: Their visibility does not make you invisible to God.
• 3:43
  SPEAKER_00: You do not have to imitate another person's calling in order to become worthy of your own.
• 3:50
  SPEAKER_00: Imagine arriving at a table and seeing your name already set before a place.
• 3:56
  SPEAKER_00: No one is deciding whether to add another chair.
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_00: No one is waiting to see whether you deserve to remain.
• 4:04
  SPEAKER_00: The place was prepared in love.
• 4:09
  SPEAKER_00: You may still feel uncertain.
• 4:11
  SPEAKER_00: Old comparisons may still rise.
• 4:14
  SPEAKER_00: The soul may need time to trust what grace has given.
• 4:19
  SPEAKER_00: Even so, your name has been called.
• 4:22
  SPEAKER_00: You are not standing at the edge of God's love hoping to be noticed.
• 4:27
  SPEAKER_00: In Christ you have been chosen.
• 4:31
  SPEAKER_00: Take a moment for this prayer of presence.
• 4:35
  SPEAKER_00: God of perfect love, before I could prove myself, you chose me in Christ.
• 4:42
  SPEAKER_00: The comparisons I carry have made belonging feel scarce.
• 4:47
  SPEAKER_00: Yet your welcome is abundant.
• 4:50
  SPEAKER_00: Wonder rises as I consider a place prepared before my life began.
• 4:56
  SPEAKER_00: Teach my soul to receive that place without apology and to bless
• 5:00
  SPEAKER_00: the gifts you have placed in others.
• 5:03
  SPEAKER_00: I receive your choosing with trust.
• 5:06
  SPEAKER_00: Amen.
• 5:09
  SPEAKER_00: As you step back into the rhythm of your day, carry this prayer with you.
• 5:17
  SPEAKER_00: I am not competing.
• 5:20
  SPEAKER_00: I am chosen in love.
• 5:50
  SPEAKER_00: Until next time, stay steady, stay open, stay present.
• 5:57
  SPEAKER_00: You are still here.