Many Are Called, But Few Are Chosen

Doesn’t the title of this blog entry bother you just a little bit? If it doesn’t, it should. Jesus said in Luke 6:46, “Why do you call me, Lord, Lord, and not do what I say?” And there are a lot of people who call, Jesus, Lord, but do not do what He has commanded us to do. So, are you a Doer of God’s Word, or just a Hearer?  If you are a Doer of the Word, you have a legitimate right to call Jesus, Lord. If not, you have a real cause for concern. For two thousand years the call, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved…” has been going throughout the world. Christ died for all mankind, but only a handful of people from a multitude of nations have appreciated the finished work of Calvary and joined forces with Him. Many are called, but few are chosen.

I believe the reason we respond to Jesus in the manner described above is found in this next story. One day Jesus fed a multitude of people from the lunch of one little boy, and afterward He sent His disciples on a journey across the sea while He stayed behind to pray. There were several other boats who crossed the sea about the same time His disciples did, and upon reaching the other side they were surprised to see Him standing there with His disciples, and said to Him, “Master when did you come?” He said to them in John 6:26, “You seek me not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled.” In other words, Jesus told the people, they were following Him for selfish reasons. They were not following Him because He was the Messiah they were looking for, but rather for the things He was doing among them. They were allowing their eyes to focus on the things He was doing, and not on the one doing them. Another way of repeating what Jesus said to them is; “Their belly was dictating their desires and not their heart which should have known better.” If they would have stopped for just one minute and thought about the works He was doing among them, they would have realized the one doing the work is greater than the work being done. But those thoughts never entered their thinking, and as a result of their lack of understanding, they drew a mild rebuke from Jesus. Many are called, but few are chosen.

People follow Jesus today for the same reason the people in this story followed His disciples across the sea. They do not really believe in their heart of hearts that He is who He is; they follow Him for what they can get from Him. If people really believed He is who He says He is, then we would have to accept responsibility for our actions and recognize Him as our Lord. Instead of looking at what He did for mankind to improve our lot in life, we only turn to Him when we have run out of options; and as quick as He meets our needs we are off doing our own thing again. One day we will clearly understand, Christ Jesus is not our sugar-daddy, and following Him for what we can get from Him – is a sin. Many are called, but few are chosen.

* Comments are welcome. However, opposing viewpoints that lack scriptural support will not be approved for viewing. DThrash

• Posted in: Christianity
• Tagged: Doubters, Eternal Life, Faith, God's Kingdom, God's Plan, Good News, Gospel of Christ, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Message of God, New Birth, Sin, Truth, Unbelievers