By Rev. Julius Izza Tabi
Sunday, July 2, 2023
God’s chosen people
“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience” Colossians 3:12*
In the beginning, God created mankind in his own image. Mankind was a special creation—there is not any other animal or creature that bears the image of God. God placed mankind in the Garden of Eden that they may be a people that he might have a close fellowship with. Adam and Eve where right within the physical realms of God, and so, we should have been as their descendants. Unfortunately, God’s intention for mankind was broken at the Fall of Man.
At the Fall, “the LORD God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken” (Genesis 3:23). It is here that mankind lost that precious privilege of being in the Garden—God’s presence. Despite the fall and its immediate and long-term consequences on mankind, mankind’s disobedience did not make God give up on mankind. He promised the redemption of mankind through the seed of a woman—the Man Jesus Christ born of the Virgin Mary.
At God’s appointed time, the promise was fulfilled, out of his love for mankind, God send his only Son Jesus Christ that for those “who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12). In Christ, God has redeemed mankind from the Fall and adopts those who believe in him as his children, his Chosen People. This is exactly what Peter writes of believers; “Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy” (1 Peter 2:10).
As God’s Chosen People, we are called to live virtues praiseworthy of God our Father. We are admonished to “clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience” and “Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you” (Colossians 3:12-13).
Above all, we are called to love one another just as the Lord has loved us. When we allow the Spirit of God to bear kingdom virtues in us, our identity as God’s Chosen People becomes explicit. As put by Rick Warren,
“God is far more interested in what you are than who you are.”
Rick Warren
God is interested in the virtues we bear as believers which defines what we are—God’s Chosen People. It is my prayer that we shall seek to nurture our relationship with the Lord every day that our identity as God’s Chosen People may remain untainted until the return of our risen and ascended Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Prayer: Lord God, I bless you for your great love and redemption. You have adopted me as your child and made me to be a member of your Chosen People. Help me to live as a chosen child in the virtues of your kingdom. Amen!
Rev. Julius Izza Tabi, is a priest in the Church of Uganda (Anglican), Diocese of Ma’di-West Nile. He holds a Master of Philosophy in Religion, Society and Global Issues from MF Norwegian School of Theology and is a PhD candidate at Uganda Christian University. Julius is the Director of Uganda Christian University Arua Campus. He is married to Oliver and they have three children; Samuel, Shemuel and Shalem. They live in Arua City, Northwest of Uganda.
*Unless indicated, all scripture quotations are from the New International Version, NIV
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