Worship for Today: God makes his own choices!

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing,
majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him in Deuteronomy 21:5,

"The priests, the sons of Levi, shall step forward, for the Lord your
God has chosen them to minister and to pronounce blessings in the name
of the Lord and to decide all cases of dispute and assault."

In this seemingly parenthetical verse, Moses reminds the Israelites
that it is "the priests, the sons of Levi" that the Lord has chosen
for ministry, for pronouncing blessings and deciding "cases of dispute
and assault." This is the Lord's choice. Of all the Israelites, he
elected these for this purpose.

God's choice was important for Israel to follow. Korah, Dathan and
Abiram challenged the Lord's choice of who would be priests in Israel
and in Numbers 16 we read of the ground swallowing them and their
families alive. When God chooses something we need to listen as well.
In Romans 9 Paul points out that God's choice of Jacob over Esau as
the son of Isaac who would inherit the blessing, against all
convention, displays the Lord's prerogative in making his own choices
without consulting us first. There Paul makes the point that the Lord
has chosen it will be those who embrace him in faith will be those he
credits righteousness to, not those who attempt to keep the law.

God has chosen, or elected a number of things for us. In Romans 8:29,
God has predestined that those of us who believe will be conformed to
the image of his Son, Jesus Christ. We are not to stay the same as we
were when we were saved. This is God's choice. In Ephesians 1:4 God
has chosen that those of us who believe will be holy and blameless. In
other words, once forgiven our sins God has decided that we will have
a standing of holiness and blamelessness before him, something our
lives have not been marked by. This is God's choice. In the same
chapter, verse 5 we read he has predestined us to be adopted as his
children, as opposed to say, merely subjects in his kingdom, or his
slaves or just friends. This is God's choice.

Any theology worth its salt needs to recognize that God has made his
own choices, that he does not check in with me first and that we will
all bow to those choices. As we read what he has chosen, what he has
decided, what he has predestined for us, we find cause for great joy!
How wonderful the choices our God of mercy and love has made for those
who will embrace him in faith!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd
love to hear from you!

Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com