"You did not choose Me, but I chose you..." John 15:16a, NKJV

"Will you be my Valentine?"  Maybe you remember the amount of courage it took as a child to deliver that kind of note let alone make that kind of card.  Whether as children or adults, our lives are marked by moments of intense vulnerability and uncertainty like this whenever we put ourselves out there for others to receive us or reject us.  "Will you play with me?" on the playground.  "Can I sit with you?" in the cafeteria.  "Am I a good fit?" in the corporate world.   The unknowns about whether we'll be picked or selected can be motivating at best or paralyzing at worst, pressuring us to prove ourselves or sabotaging our psyche that we'll never measure up.  Thankfully, our sense of significance and worth doesn't have to be entrusted to the whim of a playmate or employer.  The One who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life has spoken with divine clarity that removes all uncertainty:  "...I chose you" (Jn. 15:15).

Chosen for Friendship

In John 15, Jesus knows that His time on earth with the disciples is coming to an end, but He's inviting them (and disciples of every generation) to abide in enduring connection with Him like a branch that remains connected to a Vine.  So when Jesus assures us that He has chosen us, He's giving us this reminder in the context of deep relationship with Him.  Notice what immediately precedes this reminder in John 15:15:

"No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you."

Jesus has chosen to us not just to be servants who do His bidding, cogs in a wheel of church productivity.  No, He has primarily chosen us for friendship -- personal relationship with Him that is characterized by intimate acquaintance with His heart, an experience of listening to the things He reveals to us, understanding His plans and purposes.  This says something about God's heart.  He's not just interested in what we can do for Him.  He values who we are to Him.  He's not the kind of friend who calls only when a favor is needed. We can rest in the assurance that God has chosen us for close fellowship with Him.  He is the One who has come to our door to dine with us (Rev. 3:20) in deep friendship above all else.  

Chosen for Fruitfulness 

While friendship is God's primary objective in choosing us, there are secondary results generated from that personal connection with Him -- i.e. a life of evident thriving, growing, and fruit-bearing.  Jesus doesn't choose us to secure an invisible life somewhere off in a far corner of the world.  He has chosen us to bring sweetness and vibrancy to the world right around us.  Just as a vine branch naturally bears fruit when it remains connected, God's friends will bear fruit in their lives when we abide deeply in His Word (Jn. 15:7) and in His presence.  John 15:16 in its entirety reads:

"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."

When God chooses us for friendship, He also chooses us for fruitfulness.  Notice the qualities of this flourishing life that Jesus chooses us for:  it's a a life that...

1. is outward focused ("go and bear fruit"),
2. has tangible, lasting impact in others' lives ("your fruit should remain"),
3. and is certain of the Father's providence at every step of the journey.

This kind of fruitfulness isn't based on our future performance or past achievements.  It's the natural outgrowth of staying connected to the One who has chosen us.

I'm so thankful for the God who has chosen us.  We didn't have to ask Him to be ours, He has already pledged Himself to us!  No sweaty palms or anxiety about it.  We can rest assured that He has chosen us in Christ "before the foundation of the world" (Eph. 1:4) to enjoy friendship with Him and fruitfulness for His glory.