Blessed is the one You choose and bring near, to dwell in Your courts! We shall be satisfied with the goodness of Your house, the holiness of Your temple!
[Ps 65:4]

Under the Old Covenant, only the priests could stay on the Temple premises. They dwelt in the chambers in the courtyards. But there were several restrictions on who could enter the Holy Place, and only the High Priest could enter the Holy of Holies.

💫In Christ, God has chosen each one of us to draw near to Him – to be His child, His heir of God and part of His family. We have been chosen to abide, not just in His courts, but, in His love.
[John 15:9-10]

The world is constantly assessing us on ethnicity, accent, place where we stay, our clothes… The world values & chooses the rich, beautiful, strong etc…

💫But God chooses us because we are weak, wretched spiritual paupers & need Him.
[1 Cor 1:27, Mat 5:3]

God sees the gaping holes that rejection from the world has torn in our hearts. God draws us near to pour His true, holy love into our hearts, to make us complete, to satisfy and quench the thirsting of our souls.
[Rom 5:5]

💫 What is even more amazing, with love, He chose us to be recipients of His love, before the foundation of the world.
[Eph 1:4]

When I think of some of my motivations, the careless words I speak, the casual selfishness that I am capable of… it astounds me that God went ahead with His plan to create me, send His Son to die for me… and that He chooses to spend eternity with me.

Imagine that! Each one of us has been chosen to spend eternity getting to know the fullness and richness of God’s grace & kindness.
[Eph 2:7]

But, it is not all in the future…

💫God has called us out from among the sons of Adam, to be holy – set apart for Him. If we respond to His call, He gifts us His Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit + Truth working together, change the motivations of our heart, our value systems, our thinking – and that naturally changes the way we speak & behave.
[2 Th 2:13]

💫We have been chosen and set apart to join God in His battle against evil. And as we allow the Holy Spirit + Word to work in our hearts, we find that we are better able to recognize temptation and resist it.
[2 Tim 2:4]

💫We have been chosen to be kingly priests (royal priesthood) , a “people for God’s own possession”.
[1 Pet 2:9]

The Greek word for “people for God’s own possession” = peripoiēsis – a word that has a 2-fold meaning.

It is a word used to describe those who were preserved at the end of a battle. It also means possession or acquisition. 2 Th 2:13 tells us that we were chosen for salvation.

💫 God has chosen us for victory – to be battle-survivors… those who proclaim His excellencies by not conforming to the world… those who come through the trials & temptations as pure gold through the power of His Spirit + Word… to be His inheritance, His treasured possessions.
[2 Cor 2:14, Rom 8:37, Rom 12:2, Ex 19:5]

Graham Kendrick has a beautiful song-prayer:

🎼❤️
O Lord Your Tenderness,
Melting all my bitterness,
O Lord, I receive Your love.

O Lord, Your loveliness,
Changing all my ugliness,
O Lord, I receive Your love.

Such love, pure as the whitest snow
Such love, weeps for the shame I know
Such love, paying the debt I owe
O Jesus, such love

Such love, stilling my restlessness
Such love, filling my emptiness
Such love, showing me holiness
O Jesus, such love

Such love, springs from eternity
Such love, streaming through history
Such love, fountain of life to me
O Jesus, such love
🎼❤️

🙇🏽‍♀️🙇🏽‍♀️🙇🏽‍♀️

AD