God Handpicked You. Now, You May Feel You Don’t Fit In, You’re Not Good Enough, You’re An Outsider. None Of That Stops God.

10/01/24

Gospel Corner

JOEL OSTEEN MINISTRIES
Today’s Word

Today’s Scripture
“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.”
John 15:16, NIV

Strangers No More
We were strangers to God’s love. We didn’t deserve His mercy or measure up to His goodness, but the Scripture says, “Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ….You are no longer strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household” (Ephesians 2:13, 19). Jesus says that we did not choose Him, but He chose us. God handpicked you. Now, you may feel you don’t fit in, you’re not good enough, you’re an outsider. None of that stops God. He still chooses you. You are so valuable and approved that Jesus gave His life for you.

Thoughts will tell you, “You’ve made too many mistakes. You’re not qualified. You don’t come from a background of faith.” But God says, “That’s okay. You’re exactly whom I’m looking for. I choose strangers. I choose people who don’t look like you’d expect, people who don’t perform perfectly, people with flaws and weaknesses. I see what’s in you. I know your potential. It’s My choice, and I chose you.”

SECTION TWO

A Prayer for Today
“Father, thank You that You chose me to be Yours long before I chose You. I celebrate the fact that Jesus gave His life so I would no longer be a stranger to Your family. I believe and confidently declare that makes me very valuable and approved. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.What are your eyes fixed on today? Are they focused on the darkness that is in the world? Or are they fixed on the Lord’s promises for your life?

My chief intention here is to turn your eyes away from the destruction you see every day, and to turn them to our beautiful Lord Jesus.

Do you know what Caleb’s secret to long life was? The passage above tells us that it was found in simply following the Lord. Hebron was the name for one of the cities of refuge in the Bible. In Hebrew, “Hebron” means fellowship or association. This speaks of intimacy, closeness, and connection with the Lord.

There is no formula to long life. It’s all about having an intimate relationship with Jesus. Our Lord Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. He came that we might have life and have it more abundantly. Follow Him and find the path to a long and abundant life.

Don’t forget that everything Caleb experienced was under the old covenant. His renewal of youth and unabated strength and vigor were all experienced under the old covenant. How much more should we be experiencing this renewal of youth, boundless energy, and length of days under the new covenant of grace that is established on better promises (Heb. 8:6)!

In a psalm that Moses wrote, it says, “The days of our lives are seventy years; and if by reason of strength they are eighty years” (Ps. 90:10). Some people have used this to teach that our expected lifespan is therefore between seventy and eighty years.

But it is important we interpret this psalm in the context of the children of Israel being in the wilderness and under God’s wrath. We have also seen that even under the old covenant, Caleb transcended this lifespan and was still going strong at eighty-five years old.

So dear reader—you who are under the new covenant—I encourage you to aim high. Don’t settle for living till just seventy or eighty years old, when God has promised, “With long life I will satisfy him, and show him My salvation” (Ps. 91:16, boldface mine).

Your satisfaction is the limit and according to your faith, be it unto you. I pray that as you stay close to our Lord Jesus, you will live long, live strong, and live under the protective covering of His wings.

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