"NOT BECAUSE OF OUR WORKS!"

Deuteronomy. 7:6-8                     (ESV)
"6 "For you are a people holy to the LORD your GOD. The LORD your GOD has chosen you to be a people for HIS treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.
7 IT WAS NOT BECAUSE YOU WERE MORE IN NUMBER THAN ANY OTHER PEOPLE that the LORD set HIS love on you and chose you, for YOU WERE THE FEWEST of all peoples,
8 but it is because the LORD loves you and is keeping the oath that HE swore to your fathers, that the LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt."

2 Timothy 1:8-9                             (ESV)
"8 Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me HIS  prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of GOD,
9 who saved us and called us to a holy calling, "NOT BECAUSE OF OUR WORKS" but because of HIS own purpose and grace, which HE gave us in CHRIST JESUS "before the ages began"



GOD has a Plan!  Many times I use this phrase to relate the Sovereignty of Almighty GOD when choosing me to serve HIM.  GOD created us ALL, and in HIS Plan HE "will" be glorified.  When considering historical events, one can see the Sovereignty of GOD woven throughout  the fabric of the ENTIRE world.

Recently I shared how scientists had "discovered" a photo from outer space show "100's of Millions of stars", and that was just one picture of one portion of one galaxy, of which there are over 100 BILLION of!  And GOD simply "spoke" the worlds into existence, and HE didn't use a computer to accomplish it!  Consider that in the Exodus story, Pharaoh resisted allowing the Hebrew children to leave Egypt until the Death Angel visited Egypt, then he gave GOD's children whatever they desired to leave Egypt, and then he chased after them only to meet his judgement at the Red Sea!  "Coincidence" and "GOD's Plan" aren't even spelled similarly, yet that is what "this world" would have you believe is happening.

It was not because the children of Israel were so righteous or holy that GOD loved them.  Scripture states "that the LORD set HIS love on you and chose you" in Deuteronomy 7:7.  HIS love was "set on" us and "HE chose" us for HIS glory!  GOD's Plan calls for ungodly leaders to rule when HIS Children disobey HIM, and when HIS Children "humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, THEN I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land."  GOD loves in spite of our bad choices.  King David, Moses, Peter...all of us fail!

Romans 8:28 says "And we know that for those who love GOD "ALL THINGS" work together for good, for those who are called according to HIS purpose."  Now I'm not smart enough, nor wise enough, to believe I have it all figured out.  Isaiah 55:8-9 says HIS thoughts are in a different realm that our thoughts.  And the Spirit of GOD, the Creator, lives within me (Romans 8:11) to glorify HIS Name!  Now that is something as hard to imagine as 100 Billion galaxies!  All I am sure about is "before the ages began" HE chose me to serve HIM, "NOT BECAUSE OF OUR WORKS", but because HE is worthy to be worshipped and praised!