1 COR. 1:27 (THE MESSAGE)

“God deliberately chose men and women that the culture overlooks and exploits and abuses, chose these “nobodies” to expose the hollow pretensions of the “somebodies…”  1 Cor. 1:27 (The Message)

Whether it’s the nicest looking fruit in the produce section, who we want to marry, or which neighborhood we want to live in, most of us have a natural inclination to want “the best” of the options available to us to have as our very own.  It’s normal human behavior to feel that these choices are a reflection of ourselves, and who doesn’t want to others to think highly of them?

How interesting, then, that scripture clearly reveals the heart of God when it comes to His selection process.  How thoroughly it shows the difference between His ways and ours.  Think about it.  

- He intentionally chose a young, inexperienced shepherd boy rather than an accomplished political leader to be King of Israel.  (David)

- He sought out a legalistic Pharisee responsible for the persecution and deaths of multitudes of Christ followers to write nearly half of the New Testament. (Paul)

- He called a pagan prostitute to shelter and save two Israeli spies, and she ended up being in the literal genealogy of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. (Rahab)

These are just a few examples, but the Bible is full of them!  Over and over again, we see a God Who intentionally selects humans struggling with all kinds of sin – anger, drunkenness, murder, divorce - to be used to advance His Kingdom and reveal some of His greatest miracles.  All it took was for these folks to have a heart yielded to His Spirit in obedience.

Let that give you great hope today.  Maybe you were always the last one picked, the Black Sheep in the family, the one everyone else said would never amount to anything or wasn’t worth anything.  When you received Christ as your Savior, no matter your past, your identity was changed forever.  God intentionally chose you before you were even born to be the object of His love, and to be used to display His glory.  You not only belong, you have a purpose and your value is immeasurable.  

No matter what your background or what you’ve done, come to the Lord with a humble and willing heart.  You’ll be amazed at what He wants to do with your life!

GUEST BLOGGER - Janece Herrington