March 16

Do you remember choosing teams at school for a game outside during recess, or a contest inside during a class, or a pick-up game at the ball field? All of us anxiously waited to hear our name called because it meant that we had been chosen. Someone wanted us. And obviously, the sooner our name was called, the more wanted and valued we assumed we were. But, for those who weren’t chosen until the end, it meant that we didn’t feel wanted or valued. Time after time, the same ones were made to feel valued because they were wanted early in the selection process, while others felt worthless because they knew they really weren’t wanted.
God says to the people of Israel through His servant, Moses, “You have been set apart as holy to the Lord your God, and He has chosen you to be His own special treasure from all the nations of the earth” (Deuteronomy 14:2; 10:14&15; 7:6). That same theme is repeated in the New Testament. Jesus chose us to come out of the world and be identified with him, long before we ever thought about choosing him (John 15:19; Acts 22:14; I Thessalonians 1:4). God loved us before we loved Him (I John 4:9&10). In fact, God chose to love us and call us out of the world while we were still at odds with Him (Romans 5:8). God sought us before we ever sought Him. God pursued us even when we didn’t care to be pursued.
But, God didn’t choose to bless the Israelites above all the other nations of the earth because the Israelites were any better than the other nations, or more righteous than the other nations, or more numerous than the other nations (Deuteronomy 7:7). God rescued the Israelites from their slavery in Egypt simply because He loved them (7:8). That is called grace. The Israelites had done nothing to deserve God’s grace. They could only receive it and thank God for it.
What was true of them is also true of us. We have done nothing to deserve the salvation we receive, or the blessings that accompany living a godly life. God saves us by His grace (Ephesians 2:8&9), and God blesses us because of His grace. All we can do is acknowledge His grace in our lives and live as though we truly appreciate God for His grace.