When God came to Abram, it wasn’t a polite invitation. It was a radical challenge. Leave everything you know. Step out of the familiar. Walk away from comfort, certainty, and even understanding. And for what? A promise you can’t see yet. A future you can’t yet touch. A destiny only God Himself can unfold.
With the challenge came promises beyond imagination: I will bless and protect you. Your descendants will outnumber the sand on the seashore. Through you, every nation will be blessed.
But here’s the question: Why Abram? Why choose him?
Some rabbis suggest the invitation was extended broadly – anyone could have responded. Regardless, it does highlight the real issue - response. Abram said yes. He didn’t fully understand. He wasn’t qualified. He wasn’t even perfect. But he was willing. Willing to let go. Willing to trust. Willing to walk into the unknown. That willingness is what turned Abram into Abraham, the father of faith.
Abram’s response made him chosen.
And that's where it gets personal. Because this isn't just Abram's story, it is our story too.
The Invitation
The call of God is always that: an invitation. It is the God of all creation personally opening the door for you to step into something greater, something eternal, something profoundly fulfilling and personal, something beyond the reach of ordinary life.
From the very beginning, God’s design was for more. Man was never meant to scrape by on survival, settling for the shallow, or living in fear. You were created in the image of God, empowered by His Spirit, and commissioned with authority. God’s intention was always purpose, abundance, overflow, and impact.
Called or Chosen?
Jesus put it plainly:
“Many are called, but few are chosen.”
The calling goes out broadly – it is literally God’s open invitation. But not everyone responds. Not everyone embraces the uncertainty. Not everyone steps into the unknown, into the deeper, into the more.
Many debate free will and predestination as if it's an either/or. But what if it's a both/and? God is outside of time. He knows the beginning from the end. He knows who will respond. Yet He still gives us the freedom to choose. As my friend Colin puts it, "Do I believe in free will? Absolutely. Do I believe in predestination? Absolutely." God's wisdom is infinite, and both truths live inside His greatness.
Abram wasn’t perfect, qualified, or even fully prepared. But he was willing. And that willingness turned a called man into a chosen one.
The Desire for More
Israel knew God's miracles. They saw His power and enjoyed His blessings.
“But Moses knew God’s ways.”
Moses wanted more. He wasn’t satisfied with just blessing. He wanted presence. He wanted all of God. When God offered the land without His presence, Moses said, “If You don’t go with us, I don’t want it.”
That’s the language of the chosen. That’s the cry of those unwilling to settle for less.
Most settle for the blessings of God without pursuing the heart of God. They enjoy the benefits but never look deeper. But the chosen press further. They want to walk with God. They’re not satisfied with comfort – they’re after calling, purpose, and destiny… in Him.
Choosing to Be Chosen
Here’s the shift: being chosen isn’t passive. It’s not about waiting for a sign from heaven. It is active. It is deliberate. You shift by making the choice to be chosen.
It means saying yes when you don’t understand. Yes, when it seems impossible. Yes, when you feel unworthy. Because the truth is – we were unworthy. But Jesus made you worthy. His love qualifies the unqualified.
Choosing to be chosen means laying down excuses. It means silencing objections. It means stepping into the unknown with faith:
• I don’t feel worthy – but I want to be one of Your chosen.
• I don’t even know what it really means – but I still choose to be chosen.
• I don’t know where to go from here – but I’m choosing to be chosen.
A Generation That Refuses to Settle
This is the call of our time: a generation that rises – not by waiting passively, but by choosing actively. A generation of warriors who cry out:
“I want more. I want all of it. I want everything You have for me, God – greater relationship, greater authority, greater purpose, greater impact.”
That’s the difference between the called and the chosen. Called is an invitation. Chosen is a decision.
So, choose. Because when you choose to be chosen, you step into the unknown carrying His promises, His authority, and His power. On the other side of your 'yes' lies destiny.
The Challenge
The challenge is simple, but profound. Will you choose to be chosen?
Don’t settle for ordinary faith when extraordinary faith is available. Don’t settle for surface when God is calling you into the deep. Don't settle for blessings when He has more available to you.
Like Abraham, like Moses, respond to His invitation and dare to say:
“God, I want more. I want You. I want all You offer. I choose to be one of Your chosen.”
Ask God to fan into flame a desire you never realized was already deep inside. Let Him stretch your faith to believe for the impossible. Refuse to settle for less than everything He has for you. All flowing from the heart of the Living God.
Step into the unknown. Because the promises of God are waiting. The adventure of a lifetime is on the other side of your yes.
You were created for more. The call is God’s invitation. The chosen are those who refuse to settle for less.
Randy Gladden
