I am not a fan of the word, should. I know that I should exercise, I should spend time in prayer, and I should be kind to others; but I don’t find that to be particularly motivating. I know that many believe Christian living to be primarily a list of shoulds with a sprinkling of oughts. If that’s you, you have my sympathy. I prefer to live by opportunity. I get to pray, I get to be kind, and I get to serve. I’m still working on getting to exercise, but you get the idea, and if you don’t, you should.
God didn’t have to save us, he chose to save us. 1 Peter 2:9 tells us, “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession.” What a wonderful gift it is to be chosen! Perhaps I should be grateful, but instead, I revel in the second half of the verse that gives me permission to “proclaim the excellencies of Him who called me out of darkness into His marvelous light.”