"Thou art My servant; I have chosen thee."-Isaiah 41:9

If we have received the grace of God in our hearts, its practical
effect has been to make us God's servants. We may be unfaithful servants, we
certainly are unprofitable ones, but yet, blessed be His name, we are
His servants, wearing His livery, feeding at His table, and obeying His
commands. We were once the servants of sin, but He who made us free has
now taken us into His family and taught us obedience to His will. We do
not serve our Master perfectly, but we would if we could. As we hear
God's voice saying unto us, "Thou art My servant," we can answer with
David, "I am thy servant; Thou hast loosed my bonds." But the Lord calls
us not only His servants, but His chosen ones-"I have chosen thee." We
have not chosen Him first, but He hath chosen us. If we be God's
servants, we were not always so; to sovereign grace the change must be
ascribed. The eye of sovereignty singled us out, and the voice of unchanging
grace declared, "I have loved thee with an everlasting love." Lo!
ng ere time began or space was created God had written upon His heart
the names of His elect people, had predestinated them to be conformed
unto the image of His Son, and ordained them heirs of all the fulness of
His love, His grace, and His glory. What comfort is here! Has the Lord
loved us so long, and will He yet cast us away? He knew how stiffnecked
we should be, He understood that our hearts were evil, and yet He made
the choice. Ah! our Saviour is no fickle lover. He doth not feel
enchanted for awhile with some gleams of beauty from His church's eye, and
then afterwards cast her off because of her unfaithfulness. Nay, He
married her in old eternity; and it is written of Jehovah, "He hateth
putting away." The eternal choice is a bond upon our gratitude and upon His
faithfulness which neither can disown.