#DailyDevotion God’s Calling And Choosing To Salvation Gives Us Humility

Lent Day 18

1 Cor. 1:26 For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.

 

So do you need a dose of humility this morning? Paul hands it up to us in spades in this reading. He sets up one thing loud and clear, if we are saved, we have nothing to do with it. The very first line, “consider your calling” takes it out of our hands. We who believe, believe because we are called by God. It isn’t our decision that saved us. We didn’t work up some amount of greatness that God should call us either. In fact, in Paul’s line of reasoning it is our leastness which appeals to God when we are called.

 

We are chosen by God to be saved. We are chosen in our leastness. We are chosen because there is something wrong with us. Just listen to Paul. God chose the weak, common, foolish, low, despised, and things that are not to be saved. Just where do you see yourself in those whom God has chosen? He did not choose the wise, powerful, noble, and the strong.

 

God chose you to be saved to counteract some claim on him by someone else who thinks they should be saved or don’t need to be saved. In other words, you were a bad example of a human being in some fashion just to show the greatness of the mercy, kindness and love of God in Christ Jesus. He called and choose you “so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.”

 

You cannot boast before God’s throne that God saved you because of some great quality he saw in you or some great or good thing you did or will do in and of yourself (even with his help or a little push in the right direction). He called that which is not or the ‘not being ones’. You have be pretty low on the totem pole be a not existent one.

 

So if you find yourself down on the totem pole rejoice! You are in the right place to be called and chosen by God to be saved in Christ Jesus. If you can’t think of any good reason God should save you, you’re in the best shape to receive the free gift of salvation. You’re just the person our Father in heaven is looking for to adopt and make one his children. You can never be to low, despised by the world, or just plain old bad for God to call you into his light and be chosen to give you his life in Jesus. Thank God. He is calling you this day in Christ Jesus.

 

Heavenly Father, we thank you that you called and chose us to be your children even though we have done nothing to deserve it and have no good in us. Great is your mercy and kindness. Grant us who believe in your son Jesus Christ to persevere in this faith unto life everlasting. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.