First, an apology for typos in general
AI, that is, artificial intelligence, presents itself in our lives in various ways. One such that some of us take for granted is predictive typing. Predictive typing presents in multiple ways; but the one that affects me is the Swype function. Rather than typing one letter at a time, I swipe the spelling of the word, and AI, in its wisdom (or not), folks the word in. Unfortunately, even when I revise, I see what I meant to say, and by the time the error is found, I can’t figure it out. Such was the case with yesterday’s reflective prayer on the Nougat. My sincere apologies.
After praying through yesterday’s Nougat, I realized that there’s still more to reflect on. Siblings, as simple as it may seem, being chosen is a privilege. Being God’s chosen … Wow! That is so awesome. Consider Today’s Holy Nougat.
John 15:16 NIV
[16] You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.
Chosen and Appointed
I remember my high school English teacher. She was assigned to my class from 7th through 9th grades. (Technically, she wasn’t always my teacher in high school, but she is the one who comes immediately to mind when I think of high school English.)
By the time I arrived at high school in the 80s, she had long been in the teaching profession. She had a passion for teaching, which was second only to her plants. A serious horticulturalist she was, and she was always preparing for one flower show or another.
As she prepared for any show, my English teacher would select a few plants from her garden to determine which one/s would represent her. It was hardly ever the same flower, often not even from the same species. Moreover, her greenhouse had enough variety for her to enjoy and to make a different selection for floral arrangements or plant shows. The selected plants would then be pruned, primed, and primped before being promoted to represent her at the show.
(p.s., she was also always acquiring new plants, bringing some back from death to flourishing.)
Self-Check
How do we prepare something or someone we selected to represent us? What if God did the same with us?
Application
I know you’ve already made the connection. The English teacher’s love for plants reminds me of an analogy used by Y’shua Himself earlier in this chapter. Do you remember it? He said, ‘I am the True Vine, and my father is the gardener.’ (See verse 1). That’s why Jesus spoke about us being fruitful. Like my English teacher, Y’shua and YHWH appoint us for different situations at different times in our lives.
It is worth repeating that our chosen status is dependent on our maturity. You see, young plants do not normally bear fruit (and young is relative to genus and species), so our fruitfulness, or lack thereof, is also indicative of our spiritual maturity. It also means that we are appointed (in this context, used to refer to being sent or taken) in relation to God’s purpose, not only for ourselves, but also for others in the spaces we are sent.
Siblings, being chosen is a big deal. It doesn’t always mean that life looks sweet and rosy. Like my English teacher’s prized plants, when we’re chosen, we are pruned, primed, and primped before being promoted to represent YHWH and Y’shua.
A quick note on the aforementioned PRs.
God prunes us by removing the distractions and sins that easily beset us. Pruning isn’t fun, but it also means more nutrients are available, improving maturation.
God primes us by preparing us in a specific way for what we have been uniquely chosen to showcase God’s attributes.
God primps us to represent God in such a manner that others see our fruit (i.e., our good works) and will glorify God (see Matthew 5:16).
God then promotes us or appoints us to be God’s representatives in that time and season.
Yes siblings, we are chosen and appointed. But siblings, we must undergo pruning to mature properly, so that we may be appointed as God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, for which God has chosen us in advance(see Ephesians 2:10).
Point to Ponder
We have been chosen. Are we ready to be appointed?
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May all we seek be found in Christ
