Many are called, but few are chosen. – Matthew 22:14
When I was a kid, one of the favorite pastimes in the long hot summer evenings was a good game of baseball. At the neighborhood ball game, generally the two best players in the group were the team captains, and they were the ones who did the choosing. The right selections were important! It could mean having the winning ball team for the evening.
Everyone was invited. Word would go out, “Come on over—we’re going to play ball!” Some would be there because they never missed a chance to play. However, at times one of the boys on the block might say, “So what? We play all the time. I can go whenever I want, and I don’t want to today!” Another might protest that he would go if they would let him pitch, but they always chose someone else.
Those who failed to show up were not part of the team. They were invited, but for whatever reason, they had refused to make themselves available.
Let’s compare this to God’s call. He invites everyone to become part of His team—a team that is made up of guaranteed winners! However, not everyone accepts. We read in God’s Word that “few are chosen.” Why is that so? The answer is simple: many do not answer the call. There are requirements for being on God’s team, and those who do not want to meet those requirements are turning aside their opportunity to be chosen.
What are the requirements? One must turn from his own ways and present himself to the Lord, saying, “Here I am. I want to be chosen.”
God calls everyone. He has no preference of one over another. He does not call just the educated, the rich, the famous, or the good‑looking. He wants everyone! His invitation is for “whosever will” (Revelation 22:17). In spite of any problem we might have, God loves us and wills our salvation.
So count yourself in. You are invited! The call is universal and the provision is for all, but you must offer yourself for the choosing.
Sometimes the choosing can be painful because we are separated from what we were before—our old attachments, attitudes, and habits. However, rich rewards are there for those who yield themselves wholly to the Lord, who make a break from a sinful past to walk with the Lord in righteousness and true holiness.
Let the Lord choose you and be on the winning side!