Beloved and Holy

Romans 1:7

“ To all the ones being in Rome, beloved of God, called saints:”

Beloved. To be the object of God’s love. Some people are very comfortable being in the position of beloved. They adroitly handle being the object of love, and there is no compunction for them. I don’t know what it is about me, but I am not comfortable in that skin. I am comfortable with flying under the radar. I am comfortable with my limitations. My faults are my constant companions; not in a self-abasing way, just in a realistic way. Yet, I am the object of God’s love, not because I can do amazing things, look stunning in a Dior, negotiate million dollar deals, or debate philosophical conundrums in several languages (btw-I can’t do any of those things). This is so hard for me to own! I wrestle with this truth often; training my heart to believe something my mind tells me is reality. And sometimes, for a brief while, I live in the beauty of being beloved.

When I find it particularly difficult, I pull up this snapshot in my head. Zarissa is a little bitty tow-headed three year old, she is looking up at me with a huge smile and love in her eyes. She sees the smile playing behind my eyes, and the corners of my mouth turning up. She smiles bigger. I am looking down at a mess! She has gotten into my make-up. It is all over her face. She loves color and is not afraid to try anything. This fact attested to by the mascara on her cheeks, several shades of lipstick on her eyelids, and rainbows of eyeshadow from her neck to her forehead. She is a mess, and I know I will have to clean it all up. It’s my stuff she’s ruined. Yet looking down into her smiling face, I love her. Not because she is all cleaned up and presentable, but because she is mine, and she trusts me and depends on me. This is my reset button. I picture myself with crap all over my face looking up into the all-knowing face of the Savior of the World, with Him kneeling down and looking into my face, loving me. Beloved.

Called Saints. Called is an adjective that describes what kind of saint we are. We are saints by calling. Not by merit. This helps me to understand why I am beloved. Just as I am not loved for my own merits, talents, or abilities, so I am not called because of anything I did or am doing or will do. I am a called saint.
Saint comes from the word holy (hagios), a separated one. This word does not reflect moral character. This phrase is in the dative case, which means it is the direct object. The called saints are receiving the action from the verb. As saints we are set apart, sanctified, not just for the Lord but separated from the common use of the world.
How often I become engrossed in the common things of this world! But I am not common, I am set apart and separated for the things of Christ. I am trying to function moment by moment in the knowledge of this truth. In Greek, called saints (klaytos hagios) has a Hebrew parallel. In the Old Testament this phrase was used for the holy convocation. The time the shofar was blown to assemble everyone. Paul uses it here to show us that God calls us. We are His holy convocation.

Beloved is personal and intimate. Called saints is corporate and exceptional. Together we are a holy convocation. We are His people to be used by Him for uncommon purposes. Uncommonly delicious!!!