Why God Chose You - Purity 1326
Purity 1326 04/15/2024 Purity 1326 Podcast
Purity 1326 on YouTube:
Good morning,
Today’s photo of an Eric Carle’s illustration of the
dove returning to Noah’s Ark carrying a freshly picked olive leaf in its beak,
proclaiming good news that the flood waters had receded, comes to us from yours
truly as I imperfectly captured this work of art and a reflection of my wife
and myself in the glare, during my visit to the Eric Carle Museum in Amherst
Massachusetts this past Saturday. Eric
Carle’s illustrations were featured in Issacc Bashevis Singer’s children’s book
that answered the question: Why Noah Chose the Dove?
I can’t tell you why Noah chose the dove just yet, because
I never read that book. My wife and I only learned of its existence on Saturday
– and yes even though it is out of print, TammyLyn did track it down and
ordered a copy of it before we left the exhibit displaying this work from it. So
maybe I’ll take some photos of it when we receive it to reveal what Singer came
up with. Stay tuned.
Anyway, it’s Monday, and after a week’s “stay-cation”
at my place down by the river that gave me time to rest and recuperate after a
particularly busy first quarter of the year, I am ready to get back to work as
my vacation gave me the opportunity to rest my body and mind but it also
allowed me to lose focus with my health goals as I compromised in the
discipline department when it came to fighting the good fight against my food
addiction by indulging in foods that should be avoided and to eat too much in
general.
When it comes to overcoming an addiction, we really
have to change our lifestyle, and to do that we have to change the way we
think. Unfortunately, the beliefs that “Vacations
are for Taking a Break” and “You mustn’t waste food” combined their efforts
against me and caused me to “clean out my freezer” of foods unhealthy and
forgotten – now they're gone! – and to give up and just give in general with “comfort
foods” by the week’s end. So I am ready to repent and get back on track.
My “idle time” also gave the enemy plenty of opportunity
to attack me as I was plagued by frantic thoughts concerning the future,
condemning thoughts about the past and present, and had a couple of disturbing
dreams as well! I rolled with the punches of course but this morning upon
waking I said some quick prayers of confession to cover anything I had done or
left undone that could be considered sin and I also prayed and chose to forgive
those who have offended or hurt me – including myself and God just to be on the
safe side – and to be able to be free of any guilt, shame, or condemnation for
my shortcomings and to rise to newness of life.
The enemy’s anxiety-laden attacks caused me to doubt
my future, my adequacy, my identity, and my purpose in life and even caused me
to ponder the question – Why would You ever choose me, God?
My demonic-driven or self-inflicted anxious ponderings
was declaring the antithesis of a “Stuart Smalley” affirmation:
“I’m NOT good enough,
I’m NOT smart enough,
And Doggone It, people DON”T Like Me!”
So why would You choose me, or any of us Lord?
Luckily, I have learned that when we want wisdom we
are to ask God for it and the depository of God’s wisdom to mankind is contained
in His Word, the Holy Bible, and is delivered to man through His Holy Spirt. So as I seek to be built up in my faith again
and started to wonder about this question of Why God would choose me? – The Holy
Spirit – brought a few verses to mind reminding me why He would choose us.
Part of the condemning dialog that low self-esteem
or the enemy brings to us, has us to consider our more worldly and successful neighbors.
Coveting is a sin for a reason – it drives
us to sinful thoughts and actions to obtain what our flesh considers to be
precious – so we perceive ourselves to be less than in some regard and condemn
ourselves for not being good enough. To
which the Holy Spirit pointed me to.
1 Corinthians 1:26-29 (NLT2) that
tells us:
26 Remember, dear brothers
and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or
wealthy when God called you.
27 Instead, God chose things
the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise.
And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful.
28 God chose things despised
by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to
nothing what the world considers important.
29 As a result, no one can
ever boast in the presence of God.
We are not to put our self-worth in
the things of this world for we are rich in Christ and although the world
thinks of Christians as fools to be pitied – God intentionally chose us to show
the wise that it is not through earthly wisdom, wealth, or accomplishments that
we are approved by God. It is by grace
and faith in Christ alone that we are accepted by God. So that answers – the “not good enough” and “not
smart enough” condemnation – No, we are not “good enough or smart enough” by
the world’s standards – but we have been given God’s goodness and Divine wisdom
that will confound the sinful and prideful world when God brings His kingdom to
earth. Instead of being dragged into despair over our shortcomings, we should
rejoice that God accepts us in spite of them and invites us to walk with Him to
accept them and possibly overcome them through Him.
Another poison pill in the whirlwind
of condemnation that blew in my direction this past week was in the area of
purpose. In my zeal to serve the Lord I often beat myself up that I “blew my
chance” or that “I’m not doing enough for the kingdom” and when I face
difficulties, rejection, or uncertainty of “where my life is leading”, I see my
inadequacies and wonder if I can ever do anything right and worry about the
future. To which the Holy Spirit gave
me:
John 15:5 (NKJV) where Jesus tells
us:
5 I am
the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears
much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.
That tells me that it is only because of God that I
will be able to do anything for the kingdom, so I should give myself a break
and just let go and let God in the sense that I should stop striving and
gripping over what “I can do for the kingdom” and instead just follow the Lord
and let Him do what He wants through me.
And finally, in my condemning ponderings, I thought
of the broken relationships I have suffered and the chilly receptions I sometimes
receive because of my faith, or lack of skill walking through this world. I’m not thought well of by some and when I
think of my performance or attributes I can’t necessarily blame them. But to this the Holy Spirit reminds me of:
John 15:18-19 (NKJV) where Jesus told
us plainly:
18 "If
the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.
19 If
you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of
the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.
God chose us. Jesus chose us. And this passage indicates
that there may be something beyond the visible in the world’s rejection of us
and it ultimately shows us that the world’s opinion of us and their persecution
of us don’t matter. God chose me! And
you know the Lord Jesus, He chose you too.
And if you are asking why, let me remind us:
In John 3:16 (NKJV) , Jesus tells us
why:
16 For
God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever
believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
God loves us
and reveals the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ to save us and to give us
eternal life – and we have it now and God’s word tell us in:
Romans 8:38-39 (NLT2)
38 … that nothing can ever
separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,
neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers
of hell can separate us from God’s love.
39 No power in the sky above
or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to
separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
We are chosen, made alive forever,
and loved by God and if you are still wondering why He chose us – or what He
wants us to do now or with the rest of our lives, Jesus tells us in
Matthew 28:19-20 (NLT2) where he
says:
19 Therefore,
go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the
Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
20 Teach
these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of
this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
God’s word
assures us that, in Christ, we are chosen and loved and given a purpose. His
word is filled with other directions for us to obey and other promises to fill
us with hope. So if the world beats you up or you are putting yourself down,
stop it! – by remembering that you are chosen and free to live in the love of
God forever and the only purpose that you have to worry about is in enjoying
and sharing the love of God with others.
In Christ, you
are “good enough, smart enough, and MY LORD – the One who matters most loves
you. SO rejoice, don’t lose hope, and don’t forget who you are now that God has
chosen you to live for Him.
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For
those who want more evidence for Christianity than my simple encouragements provide,
I offer apologist, Frank Turek’s website, https://crossexamined.org/ .
Today’s
Bible verses come to us from “The Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling” By
John G. Kruis.
(
While Bible verses on various topics of Counseling can be found with a quick
Google search, we encourage you to purchase this resource to support the late
author’s work. (https://www.amazon.com/Quick-Scripture-Reference-Counseling-Kruis-ebook/dp/B00CIUJZT2?ref_=ast_author_dp )
This
morning’s meditation verses come from the section on Death and Eternal Life
2 Corinthians 5:1-8 (ESV)
1 For we know that if the
tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a
house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
2 For in this tent we groan,
longing to put on our heavenly dwelling,
3 if indeed by putting it on
we may not be found naked.
4 For while we are still in
this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we
would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.
5 He who has prepared us for
this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.
6 So we are always of good
courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the
Lord,
7 for we walk by faith, not
by sight.
8 Yes, we are of good
courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.
Today’s
verses fall under the eighth point of our counseling reference guide resource’s
section on Death
and Eternal Life.
8. Believers who have died are absent from the body, but at home with the Lord.
Today’s
verses tell us that we need not fear death for we will be present with
Him. That’s our worst-case scenario,
right? Death? But, in Christ, we live – FOREVER.
We have peace with God so enjoy it. Don’t be afraid the Lord has us in the palm
of His hand and we are forever safe in His love and in His kingdom.
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As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.org where I
always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to
assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk.
Today we continue sharing from “According to Your
Word: Morning and Evening Through the New Testament” By Stephen F. Olford – A
Collection of Devotional Journals: 1940-1941.
As always, I share this information for educational
purposes and encourage you all to purchase Olford’s books for your own
private study and to support his work. This resource is available online
for less than $10 at many sites.
EVENING READING: JOHN 18
“Jesus therefore, knowing all things
that would
come upon Him, went forward and said to them,
‘Whom are you seeking?’” – John 18:4
What grace is this! What love! “Greater love has no one
than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends” (John 15:13). But this
Man handed himself over to His enemies, not His friends. They had come with
lanterns and torches and weapons – they were His enemies.
It was night when this greatest of incidents took place.
Judas knew that the Lord Jesus resorted to the garden, but probably could not
distinguish Him right away in the dim light of the torches and lanterns. But
the blessed Master, with His face set to do His Father's will, never flinched,
but walked out to meet His enemies, saying, “I am He” (John 18:5).
Lord, give me the love that knows no
fear
– the perfect Love.[1]
---------------------------more
tomorrow------------------------
Join our “Victory over the Darkness”, “The Bondage
Breaker”, "Freedom in Christ" series of Discipleship Classes via the
mt4christ247 podcast!
at https://mt4christ247.podbean.com, You can also find it on Apple podcasts
(https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-mt4christ247s-podcast/id1551615154). The mt4christ247 podcast is also available
on Google Podcasts, Amazon Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartradio, and
Audible.com.
These teachings are also available on the
MT4Christ247 YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@MT4Christ247
Email me at mt4christ247@gmail.com to receive the class materials, share your progress, and
to be encouraged.
My wife, TammyLyn, also offers Christian
encouragement via her Ask Seek Knock blog (https://tammylynask.blogspot.com/ ), her
Facebook Group: Ask, Seek, Knock (https://www.facebook.com/groups/529047851449098 ) and her podcast Ask, Seek, and Knock on
Podbean (https://feed.podbean.com/tammalyn78/feed.xml)
“The views, opinions, and commentary of this
publication are those of the author, M.T. Clark, only, and do not purport to
reflect the opinions or views of any of the photographers, artists, ministries,
or other authors of the other works that may be included in this publication,
and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any entities the
author may represent.”
Encouragement
for the Path of Christian Discipleship
[1]
Stephen Olford and Heather Olford, According to Your
Word: Morning and Evening Through the New Testament, A Collection of Devotional
Journals 1940-1941 (Nashville, TN: B&H Books, 2008).
