What is the difference for Christians between being Chosen or called?

For every two Christians I've heard say they were "converted" one is bound to have a story about how God spoke to them or some major miracle that was proof to them in some way.

Are these people called, chosen or dilusional? (dilusional here is by definition, not meant to be offensive)

So what is 'chosen' and what is 'called'?

It also seems that for every two people who have become Christians one will have a story of how God spoke to them or presented them with a miracle. So here are people who were walking around, probably unconcerned about religion and suddenly God presented himself to them, in some manner.

Now those very same Christians absolutley insist that there is only one way to speak with God or to have the Holy Spirit and that it to PRAY, meaning you must believe to bigin with. And you must be patient and follow scripture in order to have these things (God, Faith, the Holy Spirit) revealed to you...

Yet they were somehow 'chosen' making the trip from non-Christian to Christianity a very short one, indeed. So why do they want others to work SO HARD for something they were handed on a silver platter?

Chosen, called, or dilusional?

In God's pickup game called life, some people are Chosen as starters, however, there are times when you need to Call in some substitutes. The delusional people are the ones who claim to know the score of the game.

I started out as chosen because different preachers told me they either had a dream or vision about me. Then I found drugs and alcohol to be a quicker fix than praying. Then when I went to the nursing home so I would have to take the call route because of the call lights. But lately after working there for over a year and a half and seeing how the dementia relates very well to some of the trips I use to have on drugs I would have to go with door number three which I would agree would have to agree would have to be dilusional. I find myself asking the question of why me Lord a lot.

?

thought the jews were the chosen people

hey...thats a really good analogy!

http://www.kencollins.com/question-44.htm
Di, the above link is an interesting one but it is a full page and I don't want to load your thread if some people don't want to read it so here is the footer from that link.

The Called and the Chosen

This parable does not mean that God calls a lot of people, picks over them, and keeps only a few. If that were true, the middle of the parable would have no meaning. It means that God calls everyone and gives them the power to respond—but to be chosen, we must respond to the call, using the power God gave us for that purpose.

I am confident that it will be picked to pieces like a dead fish in a flock of seagulls but I thought it was pretty clear.

Adeph - quick whit,

Hi Symbelmyne

Star-Tin - thanks I'll check it out

Rainbow - You are doing a most worthy job and I think YOU CHOSE, you chose life and becaue of that you have given some quality back to others. That may well be considered dilustional these days - but what the heck, no one said idealism was a sane concept anyway.

I certainly can't speak for any Christians but my life changed spiritually in a dramatic sense after an experience I had while doing deep breathing exercises.

A light appeared in the room. It was a soft ball of light. That is all. Nothing more. I looked at the light wondering what it was. It dissolved.

I thought nothing more of it at that time.

But the next day I was a different person walking a different path. It is hard to explain. I walked away from the negative life and the negative people that surrounded me who were walking down a path of doom and destruction.

I am sure I have changed a lot since then, but I think that was just a tiny taste of spirit that came into me.

Try controlled deep breathing. You will be astonished.

JB

Since my son left home I've had to change my deep breathing habits. I used to count to 10 while doing the exercise, now I can sit quietly after my work-out and b r e a t h without hypertension.

thanks!

Well my heart just goes out to some of them, Diane. I was talking to my 100 year old sweetie just last night. She was telling me she was stupid and she said she was so lonely. She asked me people don't like her. She wanted to see her grandson so bad. He is in the Air Force and can't come to see her. She realises he is busy. She asked if I would take down the picture of him and her. In the picture he is behind her while she is in the wheel chair. I took the picture down for her and she said thank you. Her gratitude just floors you. I asked her if she wanted to get up and she said yes. The last time I got her up she sat in the wheel chair but this time we had to use the geri-chair because we couldn't find the foot pedals for it at first and then we did. But it still was too hard for her but she was comfortable when we put pillows on both sides. My male aide helped me to lift her gently. I was amazed he could be so gentle. We got her in front of the nurses station and found another resident almost her age. It was like love at first sight the way they were smiling at each other. They both were beaming and she smiled at me. She told me she didn't realize she was so lonely. Then I just watch her have a good time just chatting like there was no tomorrow. She is so precious to us.

At that time in my life I was actually an agnostic. I had the idea that if I only had one life and then it is lights out that I wanted it to be a good one.

So I started really taking care of my body, doing yoga, eating right, deep breathing etc. I was basically focusing on myself and my own life and health.

I was involved with self destructive hateful people and all their problems were getting me down. After that experience, suddenly I was freed from all those attachments mentally and emotionally. It was like: "I'm not going down that path with you, I'm outta here."

There was a lot of love that I could feel coming from me and I could not hang with the hateful ones anymore.

JB

I am sure you have read the scripture of, "Many are called but few are chosen." Where I work sometimes it is many are called but some of their cell phone batteries needed charging. For others they simply turned the phone off. For others I wonder if they have work on a no-call list. For others it is don't call me I will call you when I want to come into work. For some it is like they see it coming and get the heck out the door before they are chosen. It is hard to find a good masochist or martyr when you need one. It is like they are so busy doing other things. I like the line, "Life is what happens when you are doing other things."