God bestows glorious things on His chosen

(In last week’s paper, part of Mr. Nichols column was left out due to a computer glitch. Here is his column in its entirety.)

Most all of us experienced it as children or teenagers. It's occurs in gym class, the basketball court, a soccer field or on the neighborhood baseball sandlot. Friends gather in a group and it's time to choose teams. Two captains stand apart and listen to the high-pitched, insistent calls, "Choose me! Choose me!"

Two types were always chosen first: the best players (we all knew who they were), or the best of friends (whom we all wanted to be). And what a harsh memory for years to come for those always chosen last—wanted least of all—or not at all.

In light of this human and universal experience, what good news it is to hear again the words of Jesus, "I chose you" (John 15:16). Those first followers of Jesus—who else would have chosen them? They seemed to never comprehend the miracles, the signs, the parables. They fought among themselves. Once they wanted to call down fire from heaven on those who were inhospitable to them. After professing allegiance-to-the-end, they all fled from Jesus and hid themselves. But Jesus said, "I chose you."

We of all people are most aware of our own shortcomings, failures and sins. We are neither the purest nor the best. But again, who besides the best were always chosen first? The friends! "You did not choose me but I chose you, because I love you and you are my friend." And God bestows glorious things on those whom he has chosen.

Years ago, Will Willimon was Dean of the Chapel at Duke University. One night he was invited to talk at a Duke fraternity. The Dean required all fraternities to have a certain number of programs each year in order to give fraternities some semblance of respectability.

The assigned topic was “Character and College.” He thought to himself, “Lord, thou hast delivered them into my hands.” He went to the frat house and knocked on the door. A young boy, about nine or ten, answered the door. He wondered, “What is a kid doing over here at this time of night? Surely we have rules.”

“They’re waiting for you in the common room;” the boy said, “c’mon, I’ll take you there.”

As Dean Willimon began his presentation, he noticed the boy had climbed onto the lap of one of the brothers. Shortly, he had fallen asleep with his head on the shoulder of this college kid.

Willimon hammered for a half hour about their generation’s moral failures. Concluding, he asked, “Are there any questions?” Silence.

As he turned to leave he heard one of the brothers say to the boy, “You go on and get ready for bed. I’ll be back to tuck you in and read you a story.”

The frat walked outside with the Dean where the Dean asked, “Who’s the kid?”

“Oh, that’s Darrell,” he said. “The fraternity is part of the Durham Big Brother program. We met Darrell that way. His mom is on crack and having a tough time. Sometimes it gets so bad that she can’t care for him. So we told Darrell to call us up when he needs us. We go over, pick him up, and he stays with us until it’s okay to go home. We take him to school, buy him his clothes, books and stuff.”

“That’s amazing. I take back all I said about the irresponsibility of your generation.”

Then the college kid said: “What’s amazing is that God would choose someone like me to do something this good for somebody else.”

If you want to share in the glory of life, now’s your chance. Christ Jesus has said, “I chose you!”