Gerold McBride
During the past few months, I seldom answered the telephone if the caller ID showed a number I wasn’t familiar with.
Sometimes the name and number indicated the call was from a local location. On a couple of instances the caller ID indicated I was calling myself.
And now, I am enjoying a little peace and quiet. I’m pretty sure that the majority of those irritating, though unanswered calls were politicians urging me to vote for their candidate. I am happy the election is over and those calls have ceased.
I had the urge to answer those calls and tell whoever was calling that I had already made my choice and had mailed my absentee ballot in. I wanted the election to be over, I wanted the calls to cease.
I wanted the news to return to be about people and events, and I wanted to enjoy normal conversation without a mention of politics. This was about the general election of Nov. 4.
There is another election that is over too, and I am the elected in that election, and I sincerely hope that you are too.
The word “elect” simply means “to choose.” Years ago I was told what this means in a spiritual sense. I was told, ”God votes for us, Satan votes against us, and we get to cast the deciding vote and get elected.” Hopefully we have all chosen to accept God’s choice, which is us.
In II Peter 3:9, we are told, “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.
If we do this, if we “come to repentance,” we are God’s elect.
Being God’s elect means we have been chosen, chosen by Him. We can and should accept, but it is His choice.
And being His, we are assured of His protection. He has promised many things, and unlike some promises made by political candidates, we can fully trust promises made by our Lord.
One promise He makes is recorded in Romans 8:31-35, “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?”
Paul finishes that chapter by writing, “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39, NASV)
I am happy and grateful that I have been elected.
It started with His choice, and followed by both my acceptance and concession. I realize that I am a sinner saved by His grace. I am humbled and blessed by His choice.
He elected me. He wants all of his people to accept His choice.
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
Rev. Gerold McBride is pastor of Lithium Baptist Church in Perry County. He may be reached by email at geroldmcbride@gmail.com or by phone at 573-547-
