God Guarantees His Picks
I was in the sixth grade at Hohenberg Elementary School in Wetumpka, Alabama. I was watching a group of the older guys pick teams for a pick-up game of basketball. A life-changing event occurred for me when one of the better players, Walter Albritton, picked me to play on his team. I had never been picked by the older guys before.
That small thing was big for me! Basketball became very important. It started me on a path to make All-State in the 10th grade, get a four-year college basketball scholarship, and be selected for a National All-Star team to play against Olympic teams from Asia and give a Christian witness.
Being picked for a team is very important. That’s what Paul writes to the Ephesians about. It’s one of the three letters that he wrote from prison. The purpose of the early chapters of this letter is to show how God has picked them for His team. The later chapters are about how the team will function.
The first big question was whether the Gentiles would be picked. In Ephesians 1:13, he makes it clear that Gentiles who have believed in Christ are picked. He identified them as His own by giving the Gentiles the Holy Spirit whom He had promised long ago. He then declares that the giving of the Holy Spirit is God’s guarantee that the Gentiles have been picked.
Picked and guaranteed—that’s God’s sign that the Gentiles and Jews are on God’s team. When you believe in Christ and follow Him, you have been picked by Him because He gives the Holy Spirit to His people. The ministry of the Holy Spirit is to continue the work of Christ in the world and to offer His power so that all people might follow Him.
God’s guarantee is always good. When you receive His guarantee—the gift of the Holy Spirit–certain things become evident in your life. How would you answer these questions?
- Have I received Christ and decided to follow Him?
- Am I identified as a team member because of God’s gift of His Holy Spirit?
- Does the power of the Holy Spirit flow into and through my life?
- Do I get frustrated and fail because I try to do things my own way?
- Is the power of the Holy Spirit in my life evident because I praise and glorify Him? (Ephesians 1:14)
- Do I share God’s guarantee with others?
If you are a Gentile or Jew, male or female, slave or free—and your faith is in Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:26-29), God has identified you and picked you for His team, and receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit is God’s guarantee of your selection. This is the greatest team on which you could ever play!
It’s interesting to me to read how some professional athletes sign a huge contract worth a lot of dollars—but only a certain portion is guaranteed. God’s guarantee to His team is 100% guaranteed!
God’s guarantee is always good. Sometimes people have to go to court to determine whether a guarantee was really a valid guarantee. You never have to go to court to test God’s guarantee because He gives us the Holy Spirit!
You’ve been picked! Are you ready to play?
