Matthew 22.14 reports, many are called, but few are chosen.
Who God is and Who we think He is are often in-congruent. What we expect God to do or be like often conflicts with how He acts or describes Himself in the Bible.
Bible reading and study is the critical discipline necessary for aligning our opinion of God most closely to the true nature, character and ways of God. Today’s verse is a case in point over Who God really is and what we normally think God is like.
We think of God as all loving, kind, and generous. We see Him like Santa Claus; big, jolly, having no issues with anyone. Certainly He is loving, kind and generous but His display of these things isn’t how we expect.
In our warped view of God we would assume that God would tell us how much He loves us and how much He looks forward to all of us joining Him in heaven one day. When God came to live among us on earth as one of us He had His best opportunity to most clearly inform us of His future intentions of good and blessing toward us.
In our view, it would seem like God in Jesus would hug everyone and tell them how much they are loved and how great their lives are going to be in the world to come. When we read the Bible a different reality is recorded.
Instead of saying everyone goes to heaven, God says few will get to heaven. Instead of saying that reaching heaven is easy obtained by everyone, Jesus tells us the way is hard that leads to heaven and few are on the right road. While God invites the world to His eternal home He concedes only a few are chosen.
These recordings by God should disturb us immensely. We should think much deeper and spend more time reflecting on the poverty of our effort to get to heaven if God is serious that only a few will make it.
Every funeral ends with the person going to heaven no matter how they lived their lives. We gloss over their ignoring of God, their disobedience of God’s commands and instead embellish their kindness, generosity and good intentions. Do we really believe God will do the same with us? Why? What evidence do we have that God cares nothing for how we actually lived while on this earth?
The Bible is full of stories of God both inviting humanity into a relationship with Him and of God condemning humanity for their disobedience to Him. God is constantly reaching down to us looking for those who will reach up to Him to receive His full embrace.
It is those who truly love God as evidenced by obedience to God as defined by the Word of God that will live forever with God. Everyone else will spend their eternity apart from God where there will be weeping and suffering. We might think otherwise but the Bible, historically God’s recorded thoughts, words and deeds, conflicts with our inherent belief about God.
What will we stake our eternity upon, our thoughts or God’s Word?
