Every day we make choices. What route should I take to work? What should I have for dinner? How much time do I have to exercise? We make those choices based on time and what would fit best into the time available. We also make choices about what items are the best. Think about the produce department at the grocery store. How long do you spend examining the fruit and vegetables to find the best one? This idea also transfers to people. Remember when you were in elementary school and someone had to pick teams for recess games? That was an exciting time if you were athletic. You knew you would be chosen early. It was a stressful time if you were not athletic. Nobody wanted to be last. Even today when teams are chosen at work, the leaders think about each person’s level of skills and how it would best contribute to the project.
That is not the case with God. Ephesians 1:4 says, “Long before he laid down earth’s foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love. Long, long ago he decided to adopt us into his family through Jesus Christ,” (MSG). Webster’s 1828 dictionary lists “to pick out, to select, to prefer” as definitions of the word choose. Before God created anything, He picked you to be His. He selected you as one of His own. Since He picked you, He has good plans for you. He is ordering your steps and guiding you along the way. But only if you let Him. He doesn’t want you to survive. He wants to lead you to walk in His plan and thrive!
