Chosen...Loved

Can you imagine yourself being chosen by Jesus to be an apostle?  Wow. 

The time is the second Passover of Jesus' ministry...just before he preaches his Sermon on the mount.  In Luke 6 we read:

At about that same time he climbed a mountain to pray. He was there all night in prayer before God. The next day he summoned his disciples; from them he selected twelve he designated as apostles.

I admit that I have some difficulty placing myself there and being chosen.  My memory flips back to choosing teams at school.  I was never among the first chosen.

Last week, we read the beginning of John 15, when Jesus spoke to the chosen ones and said, “I am the vine and you are the branches.”

This Sunday, with Flo Kim, we will continue the story:

9-10 “I’ve loved you the way my Father has loved me. Make yourselves at home in my love. If you keep my commands, you’ll remain intimately at home in my love. That’s what I’ve done—kept my Father’s commands and made myself at home in his love.

11-15 “I’ve told you these things for a purpose: that my joy might be your joy, and your joy wholly mature. This is my command: Love one another the way I loved you. This is the very best way to love. Put your life on the line for your friends. You are my friends when you do the things I command you. I’m no longer calling you servants because servants don’t understand what their master is thinking and planning. No, I’ve named you friends because I’ve let you in on everything I’ve heard from the Father.

16 “You didn’t choose me, remember; I chose you, and put you in the world to bear fruit, fruit that won’t spoil. As fruit bearers, whatever you ask the Father in relation to me, he gives you.

17 “But remember the root command: Love one another.

In this passage, I feel like Jesus could be speaking directly to me:  “You didn’t choose me, remember; I chose you”.  He tells me that he loves me, he calls me his friend, and I believe him. I am secure in that love. 

How can this be?  How can it be that now I feel like Jesus is speaking directly to me? The more time I spend with him, the more sure I am of his love. He loves you too. Such is the power of Jesus, the mystery of Jesus.

Join us on Sunday as Flo speaks to us of his love for each one of us. 

Image:  www.LumoProject.com