Surely every believer is chosen of God, that is, God wanted you and God wanted me. This is sovereign grace. And oh, how we should appreciate it and be thankful! Do any of us understand this and do we know why we, as the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus, are still left here in this world at this late time at the close of another millennium?
The God of all grace has a witness here to Himself and His grace. This puts every believer in a position of immense privilege and responsibility. We are left here to represent Christ. Do we today expect the world to desire and look with favor upon such a testimony? Did they want that perfect witness of Christ when He walked here in perfect love and grace and goodness nearly 2000 years ago? You know the answer.
There are at least two more reasons why we as believers are left here instead of being taken to be with Christ as soon as we are saved. One is to learn our own hearts. The other is to learn God's heart. Our time here in this world brings out in a wonderful way both of these, and we would not want to miss them.
What is so delightful is to learn Him and to learn of Him. The opportunity for that experience in learning is here and now. Of course, walking with Him is in the light. In 2 Corinthians 6, these words are used: righteousness, fellowship, concord, agreement, and then to these believers He says, "Ye are the temple of the living God; as God bath said, t will dwell in them, and walk in them." To those who practically walk in this path of separation from the world and to the Lord He says, "I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be My sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty." Wonderful promise!
Paul, who had seen the glory and longed to be there, but as yet was not there, wrote this for us: "That t may win Christ, and be found in Him... that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death.... Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that 1 may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus" (Phil. 3:8-128Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, 9And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: 10That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; 11If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. 12Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:8‑12)).
So we see that Paul's time here was a wonderful time of learning, and especially the learning to know Christ. So it can be for us. Let us walk with Him, and let us talk with Him. The two on the way to Emmaus said, "Did not our heart burn within us, while He talked with us by the way, and while He opened to us the scriptures?" (Luke 24:3232And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures? (Luke 24:32)). Ed.
Abraham “sojourned in the land of promise,
As in a strange country”
Christ was a stranger in the whole world.