Devotion ~ Deuteronomy 7:7-8

⁷ The Lord did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. ⁸ But it was because the Lord loved you and kept the oath he swore to your forefathers that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. (Deuteronomy 7:7-8 )

What kind of games did you play at recess when you were a kid.  Growing up in Wisconsin, we played kickball, soccer, football, and a host of other team games.  The first few minutes of our recesses were spent picking teams.  As a captain, your primary job was to pick a good team – with the best players you could get so that you would win.  You might pick the kid with the strongest leg that could kick homeruns in kickball, or the kid with the best arm for football.  You would choose your team first on merit or skill, then friendship.

Imagine if that is the way God worked.  Imagine if God picked those people he was going to save by their merit, or what they were able to do.  It would certainly lead to some pride issues – (God chose me because of…).  It was a temptation the Israelites would have been susceptible to, after all they had been chosen by God to be his special people through whom he would send the Savior.

So, Moses reminds them in today’s reading – God didn’t choose you because of who you are – because you were the biggest nation, or because of what you were able to do or what you have done.  No, God chose you simply because he loved you.  God’s reason for choosing the Israelites to be His chosen people was entirely in God.

Nothing has changed with God.  God hasn’t redeemed or saved us because of who we are, what we’ve done, or decisions we’ve made.  No, God saved us simply because he loved us.  Our being saved is entirely God’s work and God’s decision – based entirely on his love for us.  He has set us free from the enemies that had held us hostage (sin, Satan, hell, death), through the his one and only Son.

As one of God’s chosen people, one of his elect, ponder for a moment what that means – how precious and special you are to the Lord.  May the love God has demonstrated towards you change how you look at others, your attitude, your approach to problems, temptations, and challenges, your very purpose for living.

Lord God, have mercy on me, a sinner. Forgive my open sins and my secret sins. Forgive the sins I know and the sins I do not know. Forgive the sins I did to please myself and the sins I did to please others. Forgive them all, gracious Lord, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

For an audio version of this devotion, click here.

Today’s Light Bible reading:  Deuteronomy 7

To read today’s Bible reading online, click here.

Click here for more Faith Fully Fit resources.