TRANSFORMING LOVE (HE CHOSE YOU, PART 2)

CHAPTER 1
Part 2

YOU ARE Predestined and Chosen by God

To be His

“God chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world.” (Ephesians 1:4)

You have nothing to do with being chosen by God. "You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.” (John 15:16).  God is the Chooser.

However, you do have to respond by faith to God’s selection of you. When you respond by faith you are basically saying God I believe you chose me simply because you love me and no other reason. I accept.   

The hardest part of our relationship with God is accepting his profound love for us. The reason “God choosing you” is important is because this is where the relationship begins.

It’s not a marriage, but it’s like a marriage, but much, much greater; it’s a covenant. This is where God says “I do” and you say, “I do, too.”  “..to the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved” (Ephesians 1:16).

In marriage couples are told to become “one” flesh to the best of their ability (Mark 10:8).

 In the relationship with God, the believer actually becomes “one” with God. “But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with him” (1 Corinthians 6:17).

Jesus said, "I and the Father are one." (John 10:30). Remember true “oneness” is unique to God and can be learned through the relationship with Him.

Godly “oneness” is the deepest level of intimacy that can be experienced and is strictly spiritual.  

Remember “oneness” is unique to God first, and allowed to be experienced by man through their “oneness” relationship with God.  

Some experiences can only be realized through the relationship with God. Even Jesus said God “….sheweth him all things that himself doeth” (John 5:20) and “….whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner” (John 5:19) and the “Son can do nothing of Himself” (John 5:19).

God chose you and you are now “one” with God. The bible says, God, the Father, Jesus, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; “these three are one…” (1 John 5:8).

Water, ice, and steam are one type of substance, but are different expressions and so are the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit “..,the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him” (1 Corinthians 16;7).

Side note: married people who have an “oneness” relationship with God will enjoy and experience a greater “oneness” with each other.

Usually relationships are between two people who have similar orientations to life, similar appetites, similar interests, similar beliefs, and bring an equal share of character assets to the union.

This is where the relationship between God and man and man and woman part ways.

Let’s look at how orientation, appetites, and character assets make the relationship with God imbalanced and incompatible. Most of us would not continue with such an unsuited union with another person.

In addition, the thought of trying to become one with someone who has a completely reverse orientation would seem preposterous

When God chooses man to be in a relationship; man does not share the same holy orientation as God.

Orientation refers to personal feelings, appetites, interests, beliefs and self-identification. For instance, some people have different sexual orientations.

Like homosexuals and heterosexuals, who do not share the same appetites, feelings, interests, or beliefs, or identity about certain aspects of life.

Well, man and God have different orientations as well. God has a holy orientation, which keeps his feelings, appetites, interests, beliefs, and identity within a spiritual and supernatural reality.

Man, on the other hand, has a sinful orientation, which keeps his/her feelings, appetites, interests, beliefs, and identity within a carnal and secular reality. 

When people don’t share the same orientations to life and reality they would not normally be attracted to one another.

And these two opposite orientations would most likely NOT choose each other to be in a relationship with. Why?  “[Because]… the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please” (Galatians 5:17). Yet God chose YOU.

The sinful orientation is identified through “… sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies…” (Galatians 5:19-21).

Further, it is identified through acts of …“Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings,” (Galatians 5:21).

In addition, the heart is often defiled with “….evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander…” (Matthew 15:19).

I am using the term “sinful orientation”, but most of us know it as the “sinful nature or flesh or carnal nature.

You may read this list of sins and think they don’t apply to you, because you don’t do any of “those” sins. “Who can say, ‘I have kept my heart pure; I am clean and without sin?” (Proverbs 20:9).

Unfortunately, there are acceptable sins that Christians tolerate within themselves or others, just like the secular culture, and are some variation of those in the scriptures above.

These sins have become so “common” it is hard to distinguish the church from secular society.

The heart is desperately wicked and deceitful (Jeremiah 17:9) and can make you believe that talking behind other people’s back, being selfishness, holding onto un-forgiveness, backstabbing, telling little “white lies, having sex outside of marriage, rebellion, pride, stubbornness, phoniness, greed, hypocritical attitudes, rudeness, angry outbursts, self-righteousness, meanness, being judgmental, having a bad attitude, being a troublemaker, manipulating others, being abusive, and participating in other secret sins are not that bad. 
A little bit of sin is still SOME sin.

 EXCERPT FROM THE CHAPTER 
"HE CHOOSE YOU" FROM THE

BOOK TRANSFORMING LOVE

BY PENSACOLA H JEFFERSON
BUY IT HERE!!