LUKE’S CHRISTMAS GOSPEL OF JESUS: A 30-Day Christmas-Time Devotional.

God’s Election Process.

Luke 1: 43 (MsgB) 

[43] “And why am I so blessed that the mother of my Lord visits me?”

The proper theological word for it is “election.” and the debate over the doctrine of election can be rather intense at times among scholars.

For those who’ve been fortunate enough to avoid all the doctrinal hubbub, the question is this.

Does God really choose in advance whom He will redeem and rescue or does our free will ultimately dictate who will be brought into salvation and who won’t?

As I said, the question can make for pretty intense discussions in theological circles, but I find it interesting that Elizabeth is asking, in many ways, this same theological question here, but I find her doing it in a much more humble way.

Rather than arguing from a position of power, like we see so many do, here Elizabeth is honestly surveying her “election” question by asking, “Why would a majestic and powerful God want to go out of His way to bless a poor humble servant like me?”

For Elizabeth, she didn’t feel the need to get a theological handle on WHY or HOW she was being included into God’s bigger story, but she simply knew that, however it was happening, she is one very blessed woman!

Wouldn’t it be nice if we could take such a simpler approach to our encounters with God?

Rather than focusing on HOW it happens, or arguing over the theological context of our experiences, let’s rejoice in the rich blessing of being included in God’s wonderful worldwide plans of redemption and hope.

In other words, let’s use our free will to rejoice in our sovereign God, who intervenes in our humble lives for His ultimate and wondrous purposes!

Sound good to you?

My prayer: Thank You, Lord, for Your choosing of me to be a part of Your holy plan for planet earth. Like Elizabeth of old, may I not spend so much time focusing on the how’s and why’s of Your sovereign choices, but focus instead on the wonder of God’s plans and purposes as they are fulfilled in and through our humble lives. May all You want to accomplish in and through me, be done today. For Your name’s sake. Amen.

My questions to ponder: So, how has God’s sovereign will broken in on my life? Am I fully appreciative, like Elizabeth, of the marvelous honor I’ve been given by God to be part and parcel with the Creator of the Universe, participating willingly with His sovereign plans? In what way can I more freely submit to His ultimate plans and purposes today?

So what is God speaking to you today? Are you practicing the Kingdom presence of God?

We hope you’ll enjoy these 30 blogs that walk you through 30 days of Advent (Nov 26 – Dec 25). Here’s the homepage for the entire series.

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