John 15:16, "You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you."
Here, the Lord Jesus teaches a truth that has existed throughout history, and that is:
God is the Initiator.
He gives because we are in want. He chose us because we find ourselves hopelessly poor and in need of a Savior. He bestows His favor and grace upon us because that is Who He is. It certainly is not because of man's wisdom and goodness that we are chosen of Him. He chose us because He loves us, not because He has needs.
Deuteronomy 7:7, "The Lord did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people, for you were the least of all people; but because the Lord loves you..."
The Lord made the first choice - to love and to die for us, to invite us to live with him forever. We make the next choice - to accept or reject his offer. Without His choice, we would have no choice to respond to His eternal love.
1 Corinthians 1:27, 29, "But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty...that no flesh should glory in His presence."
Philippians 19-11, "And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernments, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God."
As we learn to run to the Lord and abide in Him, we will know and enjoy wonderful fellowship with our Father. We will experience the genuine love of God, and we will desire to share it with everyone we meet. Finally, we will be joyfully and willingly obliged to express this love by the good works we do as the Lord leads us. In this way, the fruit will remain.
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