“ You did not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name.”
(St. John 15:16)
Take a Moment to Ponder
What does it mean when Jesus said we did not choose him but he chose us? It says to me that we are special in the eyes of God, and God has a special purpose for us. On the occasion of my Ordination, I pondered these words because I felt that I had chosen a life in the ordained Ministry of the Church, and I was making myself available for God to use. Little did I know that God already had this planned out for me, and I was merely responding to God’s call. God had called me! God had called me and was about to appoint and commission me to an important task.
This task was to go and be a good example to those with whom I came in contact. God was saying to me, “Go and bear fruit so that others will know that you are my disciple.” We are not called just to bear any kind of fruit, but lasting fruit. Fruit that will stand up to examination and scrutiny. Fruit that one can show off to others. We need to recognise that whatever we do in life is and ought to be in response to an action by God. God has acted first in our lives, and we live into that action of God. We respond to God’s call and engage in God’s will.
When we bear fruit that will last in accordance with God’s appointment for us, we open ourselves to receive from God whatever we want. This is the joyful and rewarding aspect of God choosing us. We are obedient to that call and we engage in the Mission of the Church. This is what being chosen by God is all about; engaging in the Mission of the Church.
Practical Action
Reflect on God choosing you by the way God is active in your life. Identify the ways in which you will bear fruit for God and so positively impact the lives of those with whom you come in contact.
A Moment In Prayer
Gracious God, we thank you that you have called and chosen us to be yours. Help us to be obedient to your call on our lives as we go and bear fruit; we pray that the fruit we will bear will be lasting as we seek .to honour you by doing your will, through Jesus Christ we pray. Amen
Contributed by: Very Rev. Richard A. Tucker
