Chosen

by Meaghan Troup

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Price

$550

Dimensions

20.000 x 16.000 x 0.500 inches

Title

Chosen

Artist

Meaghan Troup

Medium

Painting - Oil On Canvas

Description

Five trees stand in the middle of a field outside of Mifflinburg, PA. Every spring they boldly display their stunning white buds, and every spring the farmer who owns that field plows around these trees. I am very happy he does this because these are a few of my favorite trees and they never cease to bring me joy as they become clothed with white. However, I often think how much easier it would be for this farmer to uproot these trees and utilize the extra ground for planting. He must choose keep these trees because he sees some value in them. Perhaps they were planted by a loved one, or maybe he simply finds them beautiful. Conceivably, like me, the trees bring him joy every spring. The title of this piece is "Chosen."

"They shall be mine, says the LORD of hosts, in the day when I make up my treasured possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him." Malachi 3:17

Why did God choose us? Have you ever really thought about this? Realistically we have no redeeming characteristics that make us worthy of God's love. Despite this, God did choose us- all of us- as the Bible states, "before the creation of the world" (Ephesians 1:4) to be our Father and to have a deep relationship with us that would surpass any other. This relationship was not intended to be one of force or obligation, but one of free will, meant bring joy and praise to our Creator who fulfills us. When sin forever separated us from the love of God, He chose us again by enacting His redemptive plan. I am sure that, like the farmer who plows around these four trees, it would have been much easier for God to simply destroy creation and begin again. It certainly would have been much easier for Christ, who was humbled to human frailty, tortured and killed to absolve our sins. So why did God choose us? Like the farmer, He must have seen value in us. Perhaps God still noticed the potential for good in our fallen nature. Perhaps He still perceived us as beautiful works of His hands. The Bible states that God treasures us! He will never give up on us!

What should our response be to this marvelous love? Well, first of all we have to choose God by confessing our sins and accepting Christ as our personal Savior. Second, our lives should be a daily reflection of the love of God. Just as a child strives to please their father, we should desire to honor our Heavenly father with our actions.

As a teenager I was not popular or well accepted. I believe that many thought me snobbish because I refrained from a lot of activities, and took a stand for my faith with little care as to what others thought of me. No one understood that I did not act in this way to purposely make others feel inferior, or as a method of seeking attention. I had, and still have, a very clear sense that I am treasured by God. As a result, I did not want to do anything that could be injurious to my relationship with my Heavenly Father. So I chose not to participate in activities that could tempt me to do something wrong. I chose to develop friendships with people who would build my character rather than potentially lead me down destructive paths. I chose to wait for a relationship until God placed a man of His own heart into my life. I have been chosen by God and therefore my life has a higher calling than the pursuits of this world. While there is no way I can reach perfection, as God's child, I strive to reach the standard set before me and fulfill the purpose God has for my life in order to honor Him. I chose God because I know that if I possess nothing but the love of my Heavenly Father, I have all. When you experience the love of God, the opinions of others and the gratifications of this world are meaningless. As a youth leader, I hope I can instill this into my teens. Your Heavenly Father chose you and treasures you. What will your response be to His love? Will you choose God?

Uploaded

February 6th, 2013

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