“It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you.” John 15:16 NABRE
This verse came up two days in a row for me, so clearly needed to reflect on it. It packs a punch of three promises: chosen, appointed to a task, and able to ask the Father for gifts in the name of Jesus.
The crazier thing is I received an email from a new writer friend about how his wife when praying for me asked if my story is done yet. Is there more? Is writing this current book the birth of something more? She doesn’t even know me, but yet, I am at this place where, as I reference in my Unforgiven Gifts post, I am unearthing more that God is asking me to work on spiritually. Is there more than just a book, this book?
I don’t know.
All I know is God tells us we are chosen and appointed to bear sweetness and nourishment into this life. That is what fruit does—it is as sweet as it is nourishing for the body. So, we are called to bear what is sweet and nourishing for the soul, and it will remain.
We are all chosen and appointed from the beginning of time. Anyone who has been chosen last for a team in a large group setting knows the feeling a being picked last. God picked us from the beginning, and because He is outside of earthly time limitations, no one is chosen in chronological order. Instead, we are chosen in His time, eternity. We were always chosen.
God created us with a purpose in mind. Our job is to stay in conversation with Him so that we can discover our mission and bear the fruit He intends for us to share with this world.
How do we do this? We pray. We read scripture. We say to the Lord—you chose me and appointed me. Show me the way. Show me Your Way.
If someone appoints you to a task, you get to work, but not before you get direction for your appointed task.
The Lord’s promise tethers us to Him. This builds on the promise of “mine;” we see it extended. Not only are we His, but we are particularly chosen as His and because we are His, He appoints us to work He has called us into being to carry out.
And in carrying out our mission, we are promised even more: that anything we ask in the name of Jesus the Father may give us. Let’s be clear this doesn’t say the Father is 100% going to give us what we ask for. It says it opens the door so that the Father could give us what we ask in Jesus’ name.
In cooperating with God’s will, we open ourselves to receiving greater gifts from God. Chosen, Appointed, Opportunity for greater gifts to come.
Promises building on promises to provide even more promise!
I’m in! How about you?
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