Life of the Chosen
We are called to a personal relationship of love with God, where we submit our hearts and obey His commands, and experience the abiding Presence of Christ.
Mary Wilder Tileston, through the words of George B. Bubier and Hugh Black, emphasizes that it is not us who choose Christ, but He who chooses us, transforming us from servants to friends who will never be separated from His perfect love. By offering our hearts and obedience to Christ, we receive His abiding presence, entering into a relationship of love with Him that inspires us to do His work with joy, peace, and confidence in His loving guidance. This personal attachment to Jesus brings eternal life that transfigures our earthly existence with great joy.
Text
Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you.
--JOHN 15:16
Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.
--JOHN 15:14
0WE have not chosen Thee,
But us Thou deign'st to choose,--
Not servants, but Thy friends to be,
Whom Thou wilt never lose:
For never wilt Thou change
Who art all change above:
Nor life nor death shall us estrange
From Thy most perfect love.
--GEORGE B. BUBIER
WE offer Christ the submission of our hearts, and the obedience of our lives; and He offers us His abiding Presence. We take Him as our Master, and He takes us as His friends. Our Lord takes us up into a relationship of love with Himself, and we go out into life inspired with His spirit to work His work. It begins with the self-surrender of love; and love, not fear or favor, becomes the motive. To feel thus the touch of God on our lives changes the world. Its fruits are joy and peace, and confidence that the events of life are suffused, not only with meaning, but with a meaning of love. The soul that is bound by this personal attachment to Jesus has a life in the eternal, which transfigures the life in time with a great joy.
--HUGH BLACK
Sermon Outline
- The Relationship of Love
- The Abiding Presence of Christ
- The Fruits of Love
- Joy and peace
- Confidence in the meaning of life
- Transfigured life in time
Key Quotes
“Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you.” — Mary Wilder Tileston
“Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.” — Mary Wilder Tileston
“For never wilt Thou change Who art all change above:” — Mary Wilder Tileston
Application Points
- We must surrender our lives to Christ and take Him as our Master.
- Our relationship with Christ should inspire us to work His work in the world.
- Love, not fear or favor, should be the motive behind our actions.