The Chosen and Ordained

John 15: 16 -- "Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, He may give it to you."

He has chosen me. How great is that? When I was a kid playing sports, I was puny and when teams picked players, I was one of the last to be chosen. Sometimes, I wasn't chosen at all. One time I tried so hard at the try outs yet at the end of the day, the team coach took me aside to tell me I would not be chosen. I was heartbroken. However, someone must have been watching me try so hard yet not be chosen. A few days later I got call from another coach ask me to come to come to another try out. This time I was chosen. I was so grateful that I just played my heart out for this team. In fact, I even chosen to be on league's all-star team.

I believe Jesus knows our heart, sees our struggles, knows we have little talent on our own, yet chooses us for His team anyway. We have been chosen and ordained too. But we are not chosen to be bench-warmers; we are chosen to play our hearts out for Jesus because we love Him and because He has chosen and ordained us to be His witnesses that bear fruit long after our playing days are over.

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