Chosen to Tell

But you are his chosen people, the King’s priests. You are a holy nation, people who belong to God. He chose you to tell about the wonderful things he has done. He brought you out of the darkness of sin into his wonderful light. (1 Peter 2:9 ERV)

Commercials on TV are written to tell a quick story related to a product the manufacturers hope to sell us. It could be they have created the most comfortable pillow known to man and they want to convince us to spend far more on one pillow than we ever did on all the pillows we have owned combined! It could be they have developed a sure fire cure for some ailment if we just use their salve, or will delight our families with the latest flavor found in some product they package for us to snack upon as we watch our favorite sports on TV. Regardless of the "product", the "story" told is supposed to create a "desire" in us to "want" the product. Could it just be that God knows the importance of "advertisement"? Could it possibly be in his design to have created us to be "walking advertisements" of his grace?

God chose us to tell of his grace - to be examples of how his grace can not only "convert" or "change" an individual, but how it also can "keep" and "protect" that individual. God's plan is to have us "shine" as his "billboards" of grace's ability and capability. By being "brought out", we are also "brought into". As a result, we have a story to tell. Grace in undeniably the most profound gift an individual can receive - for it has the power to convert what was otherwise "malformed" or "mal-positioned" into something that is perfect and aligned correctly. This is a story so many desire to hear, but it is also one they wish to experience - but it must be told!

If we are "chosen to tell", then what is it that keeps us from doing so? A lot of times it is that we think we don't have a story to tell. We believe we are "ordinary" or "unimportant", so we don't think the story we could share matters as much as someone else's. Let me assure you - your story is important - in the eyes of God, none of us is unimportant or ordinary. As a matter of fact, his grace declares us as extraordinary! "Ordinary" people have no way of really dealing with the sin in their lives. "Grace-filled" individuals know their sin has been dealt with, not by their own efforts, but by the personal sacrifice of Christ on their behalf. This makes their lives extraordinary - for someone who owed NO debt assumed the total debt we owed and paid that debt to the full.

There are bits and pieces of each of our lives that actually get "sewn into" the lives of each other whether we realize it or not. Each time we are together, we are experiencing a little of the other person's life and that experience changes us in some way. It may hardly be noticeable at first, but let me assure you that it is impossible for God's presence to NOT leave an impression. If God lives in you because you have reached out to be embraced by his grace, then his presence indwells you. It is now totally impossible for you to go anywhere, be with anyone, or just be in a crowd and NOT somehow leave a little of his presence there in the lives of those around you. Grace is meant to be shared - it is the message we have been chosen to tell. Just sayin!