ARE YOU CHOSEN?

This is the most important question of your life. Are you chosen? Matthew 22:14 For many are called, but few are chosen. I have spent quite some time praying, thinking and seeking wisdom in this area. As usual I am still seeking and do not have a full understanding of this but I have enough faith in the sovereignty of God to trust that He knows what He is doing.
The verse I just read is at the end of the parable of the wedding feast in that many were invited but many were too busy to go, didn’t want to go or outright refused invitation. The verse would indicate that even though you have been called it is not a guarantee that you will be at the wedding. In this parable someone who even came to the wedding that was not properly dressed was bound and thrown out.
This is an area that causes a lot of debate and argument among Christians and non-Christians. It is a not so easy doctrine to believe or follow. People have a hard time believing that God does not call everyone to Him. They see God as all love and no judgment. God cannot be God if He is not just. People take verses like 1 Thessalonians 5:9 and 10 which says God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10: who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with Him and they don’t pay attention to whom this letter was written to. “Us” is the people of the church who have proven their faith and love in Jesus Christ. That is not a blank certificate for the entire world to claim salvation by.
If we read the first few verses of 1 Thessalonians we can see this clearly... 1 Th. 1:1 Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace. 1:2 We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, 1:3 remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. 1:4 For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, 1:5 because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. 1:6 And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit, 1:7 so that you became and example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia.
As you can see Paul and his companions were writing to a specific group of people that had proven themselves chosen.
Maybe your thinking that that is only one example that’s not enough for me to believe. Lets look at the character of God throughout the Bible.
In the Old Testament God chose the Israelites as His chosen people, He didn’t choose all people.
He chose the Levites to be the priests, not all the Israelites.
He chose some to be prophets, some to be kings.
In the New Testament God chose His disciples. Only twelve were chosen for this honored rank.
He chose particular men to pen the Bible, not just anyone.
I say all this to show you that the character of God is to have those that are chosen and those that are not. Do I really understand this? No. Why does God choose some and not others? I don’t know. What I do know is that I did not deserve to be chosen. But I believe I am.
So, how can you be 100 percent sure that you are chosen? I don’t believe that you can. I think that if we were 100 percent then we would become haughty, prideful and ungrateful. We read earlier in Thessalonians some characteristics of some who were believed to be chosen. They were faithful in love, steadfast and imitators of Christ. Are you any of those things? Colossians chapter 3 says that if we are chosen we should act a certain way. Verse 12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13: bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you must forgive. 14: And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
Are you compassionate, kind, humble, meek, patient, forgiving, and loving?
We should understand that our flesh does not seek after God. Romans 3:11 tells us “No one understands: no one seeks for God.”
Your flesh does not seek God but the spirit placed in you by God does. If your desire is to seek the righteousness of God then you have the spirit in you and you are amongst the chosen, a royal priesthood, holy, possessed by God that you would proclaim the Excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. (1 Peter 2:9)
If you are indeed chosen then we should hardly be able to contain ourselves. Think of the honor to be considered the elect of God himself. If we intellectually could grasp hold of that then we would live the life that would be evident to those around us like it was to Paul about the Thessalonians. Are you chosen? If your not sure then pray to God He would reveal Himself to you and accept you into His kingdom. If you are sure, are you living a life that is obvious to others that you are? If your not, your position may not be as secure as you thought. Remember the man at the wedding feast that was not dressed properly. He was thrown out forever. You do not have 100 percent surety. Continue to seek God and His righteousness continuously. Never ceasing to give thanks for the Hope that has been placed in you.