“You did not choose Me, but I chose you and
appointed you that you should go and bear fruit...”—John 15:16

I love movies.  I love sports related dramas like “For Love of the Game” and comedic sports movies with a legitimate plot like “The Replacements”.  Rocky Balboa was the hero of my college and young adult years.  I especially love the epics that depict a young man as, “The Chosen One”.  I, like many of you, anxiously watched “The Matrix” movies as Neo began to learn who he was and just like you I was grossly disappointed as Anakin Skywalker became Darth Vader in the Star Wars series. I am however, still waiting for the sequel to the ridiculous comedy “Kung Pow” even though it was an off the wall parody of every martial arts film ever.  They promised a sequel and I still want to see how our hero develops.  Oh, and don’t forget “Jet Li” in The One. (I didn’t see it, but if fits the illustration.)

I find it interesting that believers and unbelievers alike seem to believe in the existence of some sort of “Chosen One”.  We all seem to have the need to believe that there is someone, or was someone who got or gets it right, all the time and never fails.  So, let me pose a question to you, it may sound like heresy to some of you until you think it through.  Ready? Here it comes: What if you’re “The Chosen One”?  Are you still there?  I think I felt a wave of delete keys being hit.

In 1 Corinthians 2:7 tells of a “mystery hidden in God before the foundation of the earth”. It even says that He “ordained it for our Glory”.  It goes on and says that if our adversary had known what God had planned on our behalf He would not have allowed Jesus to be crucified.  Imagine, God before the foundation of the earth looked down through eternity to 2005 and saw the most astounding and miniscule details of your life and devised a plan.  Then saw ahead and knew that when He made man we would fail and that He would send his Son to take our place.  He would defeat death, Hell and the grave on our behalf.  On our behalf, in our place, are you getting that? He faced and defeated death so we could live eternally.  He bore sickness in His body so we wouldn’t have to.  He was made poor that we could be made rich.

Make no mistake, Jesus was the original Chosen One.  While He walked here on the earth He made an astounding statement to His disciples in John chapter 15, He Said, “You did not chose me, but I chose you, appointed you that you should go and bear fruit...”  HE CHOSE YOU, HE CHOSE ME, HE CHOSE US!  You are chosen one by God!  God, The maker of heaven and earth CHOSE YOU!  He chose you to be born to your parents in the precise time that He chose for you before the foundation of the earth and here’s the amazing part, He didn’t make a mistake! He didn’t chose the wrong parents, the wrong city, the wrong year, the wrong brother or sister.  He chose correctly for you, just as choosing you was correct.  He chose to send His Son to this earth to live as one of us before He ever made anything to do with this earth and He made that choice for you.  His son The Chosen one stretched out His hand to heal the sick and raise the dead before the foundation of the earth.  In other words it was planned that He would heal the leper of Matthew chapter 8 in that specific place of that specific day with the touch of His hand. It was planned that He would raise smelly ol’ Lazarus on the fourth day and not sooner.  He even planned for the dirt to be there when Jesus made mud and healed the blind man.  Wait there’s more: The chosen one chose you and committed to make His righteousness yours so that you could be complete in Him before the He laid the foundations of the earth. 

Wow, God the Father chose to send His Son Jesus because He chose you and knew you would need that plan to be played out in order to reach you before He ever said “Let there be light”.  Does that bend your mind a smidge?  Now, let’s dig a little deeper.  Using the same verse in Corinthians it’s not much of a stretch to see that God has an incredible plan for your life. So incredible in fact that He kept it hidden within Himself.  (Where else would He hide something that important?)  Furthermore He planed every intricate detail before He even created the universe.  Nothing you do shocks Him!  He’s not sitting on the throne shaking His head at you as He say’s, “Oh Myself”.  (Does that joke require explanation? I hope not.)  Are you getting this yet?  He chose you.  The choices you make right or wrong don’t surprise Him, His plan is that all things work together for your good.  I don’t believe there is plan of God “A”, “B”, & “C” for your life based on a series of choices you make.  He has plan 1-infinity always working to bring you back to that great plan He had for you before the foundations of the earth.

Take a moment to reflect on your life and insert you testimony here.  Did you really stop long enough to think or are you just reading ahead?  If not seriously, pause to reflect. 

If you’re in a great place in your life right now you’ll be able to brag on the bigness of God and His faithfulness to turn every situation to your good.  If not you may be thinking I have completely lost my mind.  Yeah, but, what if I’m right?  What if this trial or series of trials you are going through is actually leading you back to the “good” place in God’s plan for your life?  What if what you see really isn’t how it is?  The word in 1 Corinthians 2:7- “Ordained” according to Webster’s Dictionary means—“To pre-arrange unalterably”.  Jesus stayed the course to ultimate victory for you, His Chosen Ones and it cost Him His life, (For three whole days.)  Now He Lives, victorious over death, Hell and the Grave…AND SO DO YOU!!