Being chosen

   I distinctly remember standing in the schoolyard with a group of about 20 other guys from the neighborhood. We'd decided to play a game of kickball, but we first needed to pick teams.
   What you have to know about me is that, when I was in grade school, I was kind of in the middle of the pack as far as height was concerned. I was a bit on the chubby side. I guess I hadn't quite grown out of my baby fat yet. I wasn't what you'd call a good athelete. I mean, I was ok, but I was never one of the first kids picked.
   Whenever I'd find myself in a situation like that, my hope was always that I wouldn't be the last one picked. I didn't mind being in the middle of the pack somewhere. I just didn't want to be the last one standing.
   I do remember a few occassions when I was picked far later than I would've expected. I'd see the number of remaining players get smaller and smaller, and my stomach would knot up. Another kid would get picked, and I'd say to myself; "What?!?! You picked THAT kid before me?!? Are you kidding?!?! He's blind as a bat, crosseyed, smells like cheese, couldn't catch a ball to save his life, and his pants fall down everytime he tries to run fast!!"
   But whatever the reason, there were times like those. Times when I had to wait far longer than I'd assumed I should. Of course, whenever that would happen, I would make a point of absolutely playing my heart out to make the other team captain regret not picking me earlier. Sometimes that would work out well. Other times, I'd make a fool out of myself and get picked even lower for the next game.

   That happens to us quite often in real-life too, doesn't it? We get passed over for a promotion while somebody else we feel is far less qualified gets the job. We get laid off while others whom we've regularly out-performed remain with the company. We get audited by the IRS when our neighbors who get away with murder on their taxes are never even looked at. It never seems right or fair, but it happens all the time.

   That happens at times within our faith too, as well as within our churches. It can happen within a very wide variety of circumstances. There are people who wonder about God, not knowing exactly who He is or what they should expect of Him. They might look at others and be in awe of their faith, but remain absolutely convinced they could never be like that. Often times they will say; "Wait a minute!!.......Isn't that the guy who used to do this or that? And now he's talking about God all the time??.......They will, at times, be very skeptical of the changes they've seen......But even in that skepticism, they will still say a prayer every now and then, not really knowing if those prayers are heard, but feeling better about verbalizing them.
    There are people who are hired or elected to various positions within our churches: Pastors, Elders, Deacons, Worship Team Leaders, Youth Pastors, etc... Sometimes we're a little miffed that our guy wasn't chosen, or maybe even that we ourselves weren't asked to fill that role.
    If we feel that way about others who we see God using in various ways, we've lost sight of something very important. In fact, we've lost sight of what's most important of all.

   God's timing is absolutely perfect - Not only in our lives, but also within the lives of everyone around us.

   In Ecclesiastes 3:10-11, Solomon wrote;

   " I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race.  He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end."

   And in Psalm 139:16, his father David writes;

"Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be."

   The bible is very clear that we are all called when we're called, and chosen when we are chosen. This is all in accordance with God's will, and God's timing. What's more, it is God Himself who decides who is called, so none of us might boast of being so incredible that God had no other choice but to call or chose us.
   In his book "God's Pursuit of Man," A.W. Tozer writes;

   "Not by might or by power, neither by native ability nor by training are men made apostles, but by God's effectual calling. So it is with every office within the church. Men are permitted to recognize the call and make public aknowledgment before the congregation, but never are they permitted to make the choice."

   So it should be clear that the people around you who have been called to specific tasks are there for one reason alone - because God Himself called them to do so.
   But what if you're reading this and thinking: "Steve, I don't even go to church. I haven't been to church in 20 years?" Those of you who have never felt a specific calling - those of you who have often had a feeling deep down inside that you want to know God, or want to know more about Him, but have no idea where to even start. I have some good news for you. The fact that those thoughts burn within your heart from time to time is evidence that God is calling you. How do I know this? Well, in John 6:44, Jesus said the following:

“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day."

   How better might one describe a burning feeling in your heart to know God better than to say you are "Being drawn?"

   So where do you go from there? First and foremost, pray. Ask God to speak to your heart. Trust me, He will. Second, get yourself a good bible. I'd personally recommend the New International Version, but that's my own preference. Third, pray and ask God to send you to the church "He" wants you to go to. Once again, He'll answer. Something will jump out to you about one or another.
   But most of all, never forget these words:

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened." Matthew 7:7-8

   God doesn't play hide and seek with people. He plays seek and find - a game where He's always standing right out in the open, but one which requires us to open our eyes and truly see Him. No matter who you are, no matter what you've done, no matter where you've been, God wants you to know Him right now, just as you are, and right where you stand. You don't have to be the little chubby kid on the sidelines any longer, hoping that you'll be chosen. If these words resonate within you, you already have been. Now it's just a matter of wether or not you'll jump into the game.