Deuteronomy 7:6 – For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God: the Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth.
Standing before a vending machine, a man presses D2. His chocolate bar dutifully falls to the opening at the bottom. Out of all the chocolates and candies in the vending machine, the man chose this particular chocolate bar because of its chocolaty goodness and delicious caramel nougat center. He chose it because of its desirable qualities.
In today’s scripture, the Lord reminds Israel that he has “chosen [them] to be a people for his treasured possession”. When the Israelites heard this they may have responded like any other person and assumed that it was their desirability that stirred the LORD to pick them out of all the other people in the world. Yet in Dt. 7:7 the Lord assures them it is not because of their performance that God would bless them. He is even more pointed in Dt. 9:6 when He says that He is not “giving you this good land to possess because of your righteousness.”
You are His treasured possession. You have been set aside, called upon, and gold-starred. You are known by the God of the universe. He knows your name and He has engraved you on the palm of his hand.
Do you live in the light of the knowledge of your identity in Christ? Do you know who you are in the eyes of God? Are you confident that you are of great value to Him? Are your expectations aligned with your divine destiny? Are the choices that you make based on the fact that you are His? Can you calmly say “no, thank you” and walk away from something or even someone whose ideas for your future are less than what God has for you?
One of the biggest crimes taking place in the world today is identity theft. All of us are trying to be more careful about the information we give to people in an attempt to protect who we are. Beloved, no one can ever steal your identity in Christ. When you have invited Him into your heart, you belong to Him and no person, or set of circumstances can change the fact that you are His. You truly are His treasured possession.
God’s promises will not be fulfilled by man’s performance.
