John 15:16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and
appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should
abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.
Have you ever
watched people receiving awards? They all say that they owe their
accomplishment to someone in particular. That someone is often a spouse,
parent, coach or mentor. Rarely do you hear someone give credit to God for
their life and their success.
Christians, on the
other hand, owe their entire lives to Christ. Now and forever they are indebted
to Him who redeemed them from sin and death. Sure there were people involved in
our lives and people who helped bring about our future. But the ultimate source
of all that has come into our lives for good is God.
Being
born again is the personal acknowledgement of the truth that Christ has chosen
us. We have not chosen and pursued him. The Bible teaches us that Christ first
chose us, appointed us, and instructs us to bear fruit that will last. The
fruit we bear will last for eternity. We are branches engrafted by the Father
into the living tree we know as Jesus Christ. He is the source of our entire
new life. (The Man God Uses,
Blackaby)
