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"Thou art my servant; I have chosen thee." - Isaiah 41:9
If we have received the grace of God in our hearts, its practical effect has
been to make us God's servants. We may be unfaithful servants, we certainly are
unprofitable ones, but yet, blessed be his name, we are his servants, wearing
his livery, feeding at his table, and obeying his commands. We were once the
servants of sin, but he who made us free has now taken us into his family and
taught us obedience to his will. We do not serve our Master perfectly, but we
would if we could. As we hear God's voice saying unto us, "Thou art my servant,"
we can answer with David, "I am thy servant; thou hast loosed my bonds." But the
Lord calls us not only his servants, but his chosen ones-"I have chosen thee."
We have not chosen him first, but he hath chosen us. If we be God's servants, we
were not always so; to sovereign grace the change must be ascribed. The eye of
sovereignty singled us out, and the voice of unchanging grace declared, "I have
loved thee with an everlasting love." Long ere time began or space was created
God had written upon his heart the names of his elect people, had predestinated
them to be conformed unto the image of his Son, and ordained them heirs of all
the fullness of his love, his grace, and his glory. What comfort is here! Has
the Lord loved us so long, and will he yet cast us away? He knew how
stiff-necked we should be, he understood that our hearts were evil, and yet he
made the choice. Ah! our Saviour is no fickle lover. He doth not feel enchanted
for awhile with some gleams of beauty from his church's eye, and then afterwards
cast her off because of her unfaithfulness. Nay, he married her in old eternity;
and it is written of Jehovah, "He hateth putting away. " The eternal choice is a
bond upon our gratitude and upon his faithfulness which neither can disown.
See Also:
Daily Devotional: Today With Jesus
Daily Devotional: My Utmost for His Highest
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