Chosen and sent! Paul clearly stated that he was chosen by God to be an apostle and then sent to preach the Good News. In some other place, he got more specific by describing himself as an apostle sent to the Gentiles. He was not ashamed of his calling; rather he magnified it. We may not all lay claim to apostleship like Paul did, but it did not subtract from the fact that we have all been individually chosen to occupy some space and sent to do some specific things.
The call to salvation is the first choice, and it is a principal one. Both the choice to salvation and the one to specific office and duty are all product of God’s mercy.
However, something comes before the choice to occupy an office, and it is the choice to be a part of the commonwealth. “Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh—who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands— that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” Ephesians 2:11-13 NKJV. The call to salvation is the first choice, and it is a principal one. Both the choice to salvation and the one to specific office and duty are all product of God’s mercy. The Bible makes it plain that it is not of him that wills or runs, but of God that shows mercy. Whatever we do or achieve, one truth will remain – we are debtors of God’s mercies.
