I was attending a writer's conference when the guest speaker, Linda Hall, surprised me with her words. "You are God's favourite author." She was talking to the entire audience, all of us writers, and my initial reaction was one of incredulity and denial. But at the same time, something deep in my spirit responded as Linda continued, "If God were to pick up a book to read, He'd read yours."
It doesn't at first appear to make any sense at all. Can God have a favourite author? A favourite musician? A favourite mechanic? A favourite prisoner?
Looking to the Bible for answers, it does indeed seem as if God has His favourite people. He made a special covenant with the Nation of Israel. And Jesus chose only twelve disciples and from these selected an even smaller group of three: Peter, James and John.
A closer look at the scriptures, however, reveals that God's grace also includes the Gentiles. Galatians 3:28 tells us that there are no longer Jews or Greeks, slaves or free, male or female but all are one in Christ.
Reading this, we may perhaps assume that now Christians are God's favourite people. So if Jesus was on earth and his car broke down, would he bring it to a Christian mechanic?
Maybe - but then again, maybe not. We do know that when Jesus was here on earth, he was accused of hanging out with the "tax-collectors and sinners," his stated purpose being "to seek and save that which was lost." So if Jesus was on earth and had a car to fix, would he bring it to a non-Christian mechanic?
As I searched my heart and pondered the word "favourite" I realized that the real issue here is not that God might love someone more but that He might love me less. If I were a prisoner, would He visit someone else instead of me? Would He bother going to the prison at all? Or maybe God would spend all His time talking to the Chaplain...
But then I realized that I was looking at all this from a human viewpoint. I can love less. But GOD IS LOVE. God cannot love less. God cannot love more. There is no love greater than God's love. He loved us all so much that He sent His Son to die on the cross so that we could be reconciled with Him.
Each one of us is precious to Him - as precious as the sweet little grandchild I hold in my arms.
Is she God's favourite? Yes.
Am I God's favourite? Yes.
Are you God's favourite? YES AND YES!
It doesn't at first appear to make any sense at all. Can God have a favourite author? A favourite musician? A favourite mechanic? A favourite prisoner?
Looking to the Bible for answers, it does indeed seem as if God has His favourite people. He made a special covenant with the Nation of Israel. And Jesus chose only twelve disciples and from these selected an even smaller group of three: Peter, James and John.
A closer look at the scriptures, however, reveals that God's grace also includes the Gentiles. Galatians 3:28 tells us that there are no longer Jews or Greeks, slaves or free, male or female but all are one in Christ.
Reading this, we may perhaps assume that now Christians are God's favourite people. So if Jesus was on earth and his car broke down, would he bring it to a Christian mechanic?
Maybe - but then again, maybe not. We do know that when Jesus was here on earth, he was accused of hanging out with the "tax-collectors and sinners," his stated purpose being "to seek and save that which was lost." So if Jesus was on earth and had a car to fix, would he bring it to a non-Christian mechanic?
As I searched my heart and pondered the word "favourite" I realized that the real issue here is not that God might love someone more but that He might love me less. If I were a prisoner, would He visit someone else instead of me? Would He bother going to the prison at all? Or maybe God would spend all His time talking to the Chaplain...
But then I realized that I was looking at all this from a human viewpoint. I can love less. But GOD IS LOVE. God cannot love less. God cannot love more. There is no love greater than God's love. He loved us all so much that He sent His Son to die on the cross so that we could be reconciled with Him.
Each one of us is precious to Him - as precious as the sweet little grandchild I hold in my arms.
Is she God's favourite? Yes.
Am I God's favourite? Yes.
Are you God's favourite? YES AND YES!
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