Nancy's Chosen Rats

This is Nancy. She is one of three kids that I occasionally babysit. Recently she wanted to show me her new pet rats who she named Tippy and Topper. Awww...ain't they cute? She bought a large cage with her own money and made it very comfortable for them.They have lots of toys and she takes great care of them. She loves them and as you can see they love her too.

But looking at these rats you can't tell that they are not just any ordinary rats. They are feeder rats. Feeder rats are rats that are specifically bred to be fed alive to snakes and other large reptiles for food. That is their relatively short life, with one purpose in being born...to be killed to feed other animals. Sounds like a terrible existence doesn't it? But Nancy, out of 100 breeder rats, saved these two, to live with her for the rest of their natural little rat lives in joy, peace, and free from harm. There was nothing special about these two, just that she chose them. That's so nice of Nancy. She's a sweet girl, isn't she?

Now we look at this story and think, "Wow, Nancy saved those two from certain death.  Man, she is really nice to take them with her, and how blessed those rats must be to live with her." And that is true, they are blessed. So then why didn't we get all bent out of shape about the other 98 that she didn't save, who are going to die by snakes and vipers? What about their lives? Why didn't Nancy save the rest of them? Why didn't any of you show utter disgust towards Nancy for letting the other rats die? She must be mean and cruel, right? I can't believe she would do that!

But you know...that's what most of you say about God when it comes to the doctrine of election and predestination, and how God predestines and chooses some, but not all people to be saved. How come its ok for little Nancy to do it, but when it comes to God, who Christians say is sovereign over all and created all things, they just loose their minds?  I hate to break it to you folks, but God IS sovereign over ALL THINGS, which INCLUDES US!

Years ago when I became a Christian I thought it was all my choice, I really did. It wasn't till I studied Romans inductively through Precept Ministries International that I began to have second thoughts. Verses like Romans 8:28-30 in that those who are called, predestined, are those who are justified and glorified. Those who are justified and glorified are believers. Also verses like Romans 9:10-13 where God calls Jacob and not Esau according to God's purpose and no one else. Notice too that He called Jacob not according to his works or anything that he had done, because He called him when he wasn't even born. He had done neither good nor evil. God just called Jacob according to HIS OWN WILL. It is not because I was so great or good that God saved me, or that I wanted to be saved so bad that I beg and plead and He couldn't take it anymore and He saved me. (Romans 9:16). It is not about us. God is not unrighteous. He will have mercy on whom He will have mercy, and will have compassion on whom He will have compassion (Romans 9:14-16).

I claim not to have all the answers, and actually I can't say that I fully understand it. But what it boils down to is that first and foremost, we are His creation, and he can do whatever He wills with our lives. Our free will does not trump God's. If that were the case, God was in the wrong for trumping Jonah's free will, along with Soddom and Gamorah, everyone who (with the exception of the eight members of Noah's family) was killed by the flood, and the list goes on.

As I read Romans 9, I was blown away at the fact that God did not have to save me, but chose to. Not on the basis of anything I had done, or any redeeming qualities I had, but on His mercy and compassion towards me. Like Nancy's rats, it just makes me love Him even more, and gives Him glory. I never complain about why He doesn't save everyone, but I'm just in awe that he saved me.