Colossians 2:2 that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ,
Nothing encourages us more than to see progress in the right direction. Achievement awards mean more to a child than participation awards. It is not enough to just show up, we want to be used. God understands that better than anyone. When He shows us His will and we acknowledge the challenge to join Him, we are encouraged to have been chosen.
Isaiah 49:7 Thus says the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel and his Holy One, to one deeply despised, abhorred by the nation, the servant of rulers: “Kings shall see and arise; princes, and they shall prostrate themselves; because of the Lord, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.”
This Word of prophecy is all about His chosen. Despised by the ruling class, abhorred by all, and nothing more than a slave in their eyes, a thing to be abused, that was all of us. But then we were chosen and our redeemer put us first and ignored the ruling class.
Unlike the playground pick, God doesn’t choose us because we are the most talented, the biggest, fastest, or strongest. He chose us because we are the most pliable.
Jeremiah 10:9 Beaten silver is brought from Tarshish, and gold from Uphaz. They are the work of the craftsman and of the hands of the goldsmith; their clothing is violet and purple; they are all the work of skilled men.
We are the raw material that has no shape or form but in the hands of the Master Craftsman, we become a thing of beauty and worth. God is that craftsman. When we mature in the knowledge of the mystery of Christ we are used by God as tools in His hands to shape the next generation.
The secret to that is to surrender to the Master. His hands do the work.
Philippians 2:13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
The secret to that mystery is to surrender our will to His.
The only way to discover His will is in a close personal relationship with the Master.
2 Corinthians 9:13 By their approval of this service, they will glorify God because of your submission that comes from your confession of the gospel of Christ, and the generosity of your contribution for them and for all others,
Our participation award is our relationship with Him.