Choose me!
I Corinthians 1:27-29 “But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world, and the despised; God has chosen the things which are not to nullify the things that are; that no man should boast before God.”
This is one of my favorite passages of Scripture. In the world, and particularly the United States, we glorify the men like Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Vin Diesel and all the other “macho men”. People look at them and say there goes a “real man” with 16 inch biceps and huge chest. If we are not glorifying people like that we honor people like Farah Fawcett, Brooke Shields, Kim Kardashian, Tyra Banks and other beautiful ladies because we say that is what a real woman should look like. Don’t get me wrong I have no problem looking at a beautiful woman, and I used to lift weights everyday because I wanted 16 inch biceps. But is strength what makes a man? Is it beauty that makes a woman? Well, if we live and think like the world thinks then the answer is yes. But as Christians we have been called by God to stop thinking like the world, and start thinking like Him. Let’s look for a moment at what God wants.
In I Samuel 8 we read how the Israelites wanted a king to rule them, and even though God warned them they still cried out for a king, so the prophet Samuel chose Saul to be their king because this is what they wanted. The Bible says that Saul was the most handsome man in Israel, and that he was head and shoulders taller than any other man. He was what the Israelites, or you and I, would envision as the perfect man, so God reluctantly allowed him to become the king. Sometimes God will allow us to make a foolish choice that He knows is wrong because of His love for us. In the end Saul made decisions that God knew beforehand that he would make, and they negatively affected Israel, but the people chose Saul because of his looks and his stature.
Still, today we make that same mistake about certain things. We choose friends many times because of their appearance or their popularity. It only comes up later that we learn what kind of a person they really are. Or we may purchase something based solely on the ascetic qualities, and then later we find out that it has no real purpose.
I’m thinking right now about my first mission trip. I was working with immigrant farm worker children in southern Georgia. One day on that trip one of the children, 6 or 7 years old, gave me a picture that she had drawn, and of course it looked like a child drew it. The picture was crude with a stick figure standing on the bank of a lake fishing. It obviously would not have won any art awards, but to me it was one of the most beautiful pictures I had seen. I could see beyond the colored pencil and paper that was used, and I could see the heart of this little girl that was filled with love. Over the past 17 years of moving around I have lost that picture somewhere, but I still see it when I close my eyes, and think about God’s love for us.
You may be thinking that you don’t have anything to offer God because you’re not Mr. Universe or Miss America. You may not be what the world would choose as a spokesperson, but you are what God would choose. In fact God has already chosen you in spite of all your flaws.
“But God demonstrates His own love toward us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8
Father, I thank You for choosing me despite my flaws, and I ask that You would continue to use me; and give me the abilities I need to glorify Yon. In Jesus’ name, Amen
The picture above was taken by me this summer while working at Camp Hawkins. Camp Hawkins is a summer camp for children with developmental disabilities and is run by the Georgia Baptist Children’s Home and Family Ministries. If you would like more information about the camp please click the following link –Camp Hawkins
Yes, You Can Ministry 