Chosen

I was impressed this morning with the sense of Gods people being those who are called out, chosen, set apart for His glory and honor. 1st Peter has many references to this throughout the letter. Christians are those who are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God by the working of all three Persons of the Trinity. We're protected by His power until the last day when our pilgrimage ends in His presence. We don't see Him yet, but we love Him still. Prophets, saints, holy persons of God have gone before us and we are here in our generation with the calling to let His virtue and grace be seen through our lives. We make our mistakes like everyone else, but we count on the cleansing sacrifice of Christ to renew us and get us back on track. The religiously correct of our day may not appreciate us or recognize us, but we are called to follow in the footsteps of Jesus, for they didn't recognize or appreciate Him either. We suffer ridicule or worse simply because we want to do what is right, and won't do what is wrong. We wander like sheep sometimes, but always return to our good shepherd who cares for our souls and restores us by His Spirit and word. Sometimes in the scheme of things others get what should have been ours, and we take the last place, yet we still rejoice over a greater reward that we haven't even gained yet in full, but we will. We suffer yet rejoice,we labor yet see little for it now, we face the assault of our enemy resisting him until he flees. In it all we're trusting our God to exalt us then, as we exalt Him now. We press onward because we're infinitely established by His grace and presence. Finally, when all is said and done, we stand in the Presence of the Most High God, full of glory and righteousness and everything that it means to define "heavenly." So brethren, rejoice in your calling for it is to this that you are chosen.