Oddly Chosen

“You did not choose Me, but I chose you…”
— John 15:16

Odd. Ugly. Weird. Homely. Fat. Skinny. Strange. Eccentric. Annoying. Repulsive. Loud. Silent. Obnoxious. These are generally not kind words to use when describing another person, so we don’t say them. We often think them though. One place that is readily apparent is watching audience reactions at nationally televised talent shows when someone who “doesn’t have the look of a star” takes the stage.

We see an odd individual take the stage and eyebrows raise, smirks are exchanged, giggles are stifled and everyone braces themselves for whatever is about to happen. When they do light up the stage with an amazing performance, mouths open in awe and thunderous applause fills the room. Those are some of the best performances. I believe we react so strongly to those types of performances because to some degree we see ourselves in some of the words I listed above. And those performances fill us with hope. If they can do something amazing, maybe we can too.

When it comes to Christ, as the song goes, everyone is “precious in His sight.” Unfortunately, all to often, we don’t have His sight, nor do we hold everyone as precious. Theologically we know we should, but we don’t. Neither are we precious in the sight of others. We are all odd in our own unique way. We all struggle with how others see us, because we know how we see others.

The few amazing performances that warm our hearts do so because those who take the stage show unbelievable talent. They overcome prejudices because they accomplish something few people can accomplish. They set themselves apart from the crowd through their talent, and in doing so the prejudices we held actually end up bolstering their standing in our minds.

But what if they didn’t have any talent? What if we don’t? Then our oddities become even more odd.

Praise God, we were oddly chosen! We weren’t chosen because of our talent. We weren’t chosen because we have something worthwhile to offer. We weren’t even chosen because of the love we have for God. And we certainly were not chosen because we chose Him! Jesus tells us in John 15:16, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you…”.

Even with all our oddities, we were chosen. Chosen because we are precious in His sight. Chosen because He first loved us. Chosen because of who He is, and not based on who we are. Chosen for His pleasure and by His Grace. We are odd, and oddly chosen.

Jesus went on in John 15:16-17 to say, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. These things I command you, that you love one another.”

We weren’t chosen because of our abilities. We were chosen despite our inabilities and oddities. And we were appointed to “bear fruit,” but we don’t bear fruit because of our talent or abilities. We bear fruit because we were chosen and appointed. As Jesus says in John 15:5, “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”

The fruit comes from Him. He chose us and appointed us to be His. When we abide (live with Him), He works through our lives to produce fruit. He doesn’t do it so people will be amazed by us, or what we can do. He chose us so people might see Him in us. For us as Christians it is never about the accomplishments. It is always about Jesus. The One who accomplished all and said, “It is finished!”

The odd little man who is writing this devotion was oddly chosen by Jesus. I was chosen to know Him. I was chosen to love Him. I was chosen to love others. I was chosen to make Him known. I was chosen not to accomplish, but to simply be a vessel through which others can catch a glimpse of Him.

And you were oddly chosen too! Now the choice is ours. To either live for ourselves, or live for Him. And all those other odd people in the world, well, He finds them precious in His sight and we were oddly chosen to love one another.

© 2026 Warren Martin. All rights Reserved.

Observe the Ant: Death Spiral

“Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise.”
— Proverbs 6:6

“So, what do you do?”

This question is the most common way people try to figure out who someone is as a person. There are numerous problems with the approach. Especially since who we are as Christians is determined by who Christ is and what He has done. However, it is a real world situation which casts light on the fact that what we do matters.

Proverbs 6:6-11 warns against laziness and failure to take advantage of the day through meaningful productivity. We are encouraged to observe the ant. To consider how it has no captain or ruler, but still works as a community consistently gathering resources to provide for the whole. We are to take it as an example of productive work to provide for our families and community.

Ants can teach us many things about work; for good and ill. They are diligent workers completely reliant on their community. But the lesson is not about working ceaselessly. Working for works sake. Or going about business when it is only busy-ness. It is about productive work for the betterment of the family and community. This is the lesson we often fail to grasp.

Observe the army ant. Most worker army ants are completely blind. They diligently work following the scent trails laid down from the chemical pheromones released by the ant in front of them. However, if an ant makes a mistake and goes off-course and accidentally circles back to cross the trail they have already walked, a death spiral begins. The entire line of ants will continually walk in circles until they die of dehydration, starvation or exhaustion. Sounds like many jobs in today’s world.

This death spiral phenomenon was first documented by William Beebe in 1921. He described an ant mill (death spiral) of circling ants 1,210 feet in circumference. It would take ants two and half hours to make one revolution. And they continued circling until all of them died.

From the moment Adam and Eve were kicked out of the garden, mankind was charged with and obligated to work. We are to diligently work to provide for our family and community. However, we are not to do it blind!

Many are blinded by the prestige, love of money, comforts and simply trying to keep up with their neighbors. We follow the scent trail of social acceptance and find ourselves in a death spiral. We work ever so diligently, but for what? We don’t know how to get out of the death spiral because we are completely consumed with following the trails of others to gain acceptance, recognition, prestige, etc.

What should be a “red flag” in this process often becomes the most natural worldly expression of our being: “what do you do?” If in answering that question, you believe you are telling people who you are, you have a problem. What you do is NOT who you are!

Who you are is defined by our Lord. What matters is who He created you to be, not what you do. Who He says you are counts, not what the world says you are. For the world will always define you by what you do. Who you are is defined by what Christ has done.

As Galatians 4:4-7 states, “But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out ‘Abba, Father!’ Therefore, you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.” Who we are is determined by what God has done!

It is why I often say, “I am who I am because the Great I Am said I am, and that is enough!”

As long as we walk this earth, work will and should be a part of our lives. We should be about meaningful work providing for our families and communities. However, we should not be about following the scent of prestige and accomplishment into a death spiral. We should be about following the Spirit of Jesus crying out in our hearts! We should be about following our Abba, Father! For everything eternal and worthwhile accomplished in my life was accomplished by Him!

God is not so concerned about what we do. He is much more concerned about who we are; or, more pointedly, whose we are. What we do will always be a natural out-flowing of who we truly see ourselves to be.

I challenge you today, know whose you are. Know who you are. Work hard. “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. …And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men.” (Colossians 3:17, 23)

© 2026 Warren Martin. All rights Reserved.

Beyond Your Wildest Dreams

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believe in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.”
— John 14:12

Scandalous! In 1918 Wichita Falls, TX, petroleum landman, engineer and conman, J.D. McMahon pitched an idea for building a 480 foot tall skyscraper. With the recent oil boom in nearby Burkburnett, the region was flooded with people and viable land for homes and offices was at a premium. McMahon developed a plan to build a state-of-the-art skyscraper in Downtown Wichita Falls, complete with offices, retail shops and apartments.

By 1919, he began construction with the blueprints investors had signed off on after raising $200,000 dollars (roughly $3 million dollars today). In the end, he built a building that was dubbed the “World’s Littlest Skyscraper.” A building 40 feet tall and 9 feet wide by 12 feet long. Investors were furious and took him to court. The court sided with McMahon. The investors had signed off on the blueprints that clearly stated he would not build a 480 foot tall skyscraper, but a building 480 inches tall (40 feet). McMahon quickly skipped town with his money and the building still stands today at the corner of 7th Street and La Salle (and is on the National Register of Historic Places).

Investors signed off on the plan without inspecting the details. So do we. Everyday.

J.B. Phillips wrote a tremendous book entitled “Your God Is Too Small” (1952). He argues that no matter what image you have of God in your head you can be certain that image is way too small! God is bigger than anything you can imagine. And for Christians, the Living Lord is living in you and desires to live through you! Thus, whatever image of yourself you have is consequently way too small. You have the Living Lord dwelling in you and living through you.

My new favorite song is from Rend Collective titled “Something More” (2026). The lyrics state in the chorus, “Maybe you’re more than flesh and bone, Maybe you’re made for something more, Maybe the stories you’ve been told, Just aren’t big enough, big enough….Maybe you’re made for something more.”

Far too many of us have signed off on a blueprint we thought was in feet, only to find out it was a deception depicted in inches. We thought we were building a skyscraper and signed on to build a shack because we didn’t pay attention to the blueprints.

However, the blueprints of Christianity are clear: “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believe in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father” (John 14:12). Maybe you were made for something more? No, you WERE made for something more!!!!

I can guarantee you two things today:

No matter what image you have of God, it is too small! He is greater and more powerful than you can imagine. His love and grace are greater than you can ever comprehend. He is more. And the more you discover, the more you realize you cannot comprehend.

No matter what image you have of yourself as a Christian, it is too small! The Living Lord lives in you! If He is more, Him living through you is more than you can image or dream. Who He created you to be is beyond your wildest dreams! And only you are holding you back.

Check the details of the blueprint—the Bible. Unlike McMahon, God is not a conman. He is not trying to sell you an inch at the price of a foot. He is offering you eternity! There is no limit to what He can accomplish in your life! The only limit is the stories you tell yourself about who He is and who you are…and maybe, just maybe…”the stories you’ve been told just aren’t big enough!”

“Greater works than these” you will do! How is it possible to do greater works than Christ? Simple. God working through Jesus (God) makes perfect sense. God working through imperfect people? Certainly, that is a greater work!

Maybe, just maybe, YOU WERE MADE FOR SOMETHING MORE! Will you choose it? Or limit God to the same old stale stories you’ve been told? You can make your choice. I want to be more!

© 2026 Warren Martin. All rights Reserved.

I'm Tired, But...

“And Jesus answered her and said to her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken from her.’”
— Luke 10:41-42

I’m tired. I’m exhausted. Over the past couple months I have spent as many nights in hotels and RVs as I have in my own bed. Conferences. State Fair. Speaking engagements. Daily work. BUT… I still have work to do. Projects to complete. Things that need to get done in a timely manner. And, now, a devotion I need to put some creative thought towards and write.

Like Martha, in Luke 10:40 I find myself looking at others and thinking, “Lord, do You not care that my sister [or others] has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her [them] to help me.”

And, tonight, the Lord simply replies, “Warren, Warren, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed. Choose that good part. Sit at my feet!”

So, instead of writing my normal devotional thought, I simply want to challenge you to join me today. Especially if you are tired and worried. The reality is we get to choose how we end the sentence: 1) I’m tired, but there is still so much I need to do, or 2) I’m tired, but I am blessed.

I challenge you to join me. Take the few minutes you would normally spend to read this devotion and pray. Sit at the Lord’s feet. Thank God for the blessings you have. Blessings that come NOT from what you do, have done, can do, should do, but blessings that come from who He is and what He has done in your life.

For He has “blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3). And that good part “will not be taken” from us.

We get to choose how we end the sentence: I’m tired, but…

I challenge you to join me in sitting at the Lord’s feet for just a few minutes and “Count your blessings, name them one by one; Count your blessings, see what God hath done…” (Hymn, Johnson Oatman, 1897).

AND if you want to encourage me today, share your blessings with me. I would love to celebrate them with you. A blessing shared is twice the blessing. A burdened shared is half the burden. I would treasure both.

© 2026 Warren Martin. All rights Reserved.

Dense Thoughts

“You shall not follow a crowd to do evil;…”
- Exodus 23:2

My wife said I had to give her props for this, so… A brilliant scientist, who serves humanity by teaching 8th grade science, taught me about density today. Density is basically how much a given volume of something weighs. She pointed out that milk and saltwater have the same density (or very, very close in a controlled environment). I found this very interesting in how it aligned with the notion of “dense thoughts” and, alternately, “dense people.”

Milk has historically been essential in nourishing the most vulnerable among us (small children) into strong and healthy adults. Alternately, saltwater if consumed like milk will make you crazy. Sailor’s tales are full of individuals adrift at sea and falling into the trap of drinking saltwater. Too much sodium in the blood causes confusion, delirium, hallucinations and madness. Yet, there is far more saltwater on earth than there is milk.

As in nature, so holds true in our thoughts. We drink in thoughts, ideas, propaganda and all manner of communication everyday. Some is milk to our betterment. The vast majority is saltwater in our lives. Yet, we rarely stop to consider what it is we are consuming. We look around us and see everyone else on the same bandwagon and think we are doing fine. Yet, Exodus 23:2 clearly advises us, “You shall not follow a crowd to do evil.”

How we stand in comparison to others is irrelevant. In fact, 2 Corinthians 10:12 tells us, “For we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves. But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.”

The only thing that matters is how we compare to what God says about us. That can be scary for some to consider. However, God’s thoughts towards us are “precious” and “full of love.” His thoughts are the milk that transforms the frail, vulnerable creatures we are into healthy “joint heirs with Christ.” It is the sustenance we need to become who He created us to be.

Unfortunately, we tend to be dense people. We are so thick-headed at times. We will not allow the thoughts of God to permeate our thinking and nourish our souls. To hear Him, we have to consciously choose to listen and be open to God speaking into our lives.

Yes, listening to God can be scary at first. We are dense creatures, but the Lord’s thoughts are dense thoughts. They are deep with layered arguments shared in love and have the ability to transform our lives. I love what A. W. Tozer wrote: “The voice of God is a friendly voice. No one need fear to listen to it unless he has already made up his mind to resist it.”

Paul wrote over and over throughout the books he authored in the Bible about the importance of our thinking and our mind. As he writes in Romans 12:2, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind,…”. And how are we to do that? By “bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,…” (2 Corinthians 10:5).

We get to choose. We can be dense people or we can contemplate dense thoughts that can transform our lives. We can drink the saltwater of bitter, scandalous, evil and corrupt thoughts; or we can be nourished by the milk (listening for the Lord speaking into our lives through His word and Holy Spirit).

Choosing means spending time thinking about what we are thinking about. Taking our thoughts captive. And only pursuing those thoughts which are in obedience to Christ. It is vital in determining who are in the world. As Proverbs 23:7 states, “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.”

A person is simply what they are thinking about all day long. Contemplate that. How much of our thinking everyday derives from the saltwater thoughts of the crowd? How much time do you spend contemplating the nourishment of thoughts which can come only from the Lord who promised a kingdom flowing with milk and honey. The milk of precious thoughts which can transform your life and thoughts sweeter than honey as they are filled with love.

Milk and saltwater have the same density. The thoughts you choose to contemplate and think about all day long will equally serve to determine who you are in this world; for good or ill. The thoughts of the world end in madness. The thoughts of our Lord are a “light unto our feet.” Think about what you are thinking about. And actively choose which thoughts you will live by.

© 2026 Warren Martin. All rights Reserved.