A. W. Pink on Election

"Election is not as some have supposed—harsh and unjust—but is a most merciful provision on the part of God. Had he not from the beginning chosen SOME to salvation, ALL would have perished! Had he not before the foundation of the world chosen certain ones to be conformed to the image of His Son—the death of Christ would have been in vain so far as the human race is concerned!
Reduced to its simplest terms, ELECTION means that God chose me before I chose Him. Said our Lord, "You have not chosen Me—but I have chosen you." (John 15:16) We love Him—because He first loved us (1 John 4:19).
Election means that before I was born, yes, before the foundation of the world, I was chosen in Christ and predestined unto a place in God's family (Ephesians 1:4).
Election means that we believed—because He made us willing in the day of His power (Psalm 110:3).
Election, then, strips the creature of all merit, removes all ground of boasting, strikes us helpless in the dust, and ascribes all the glory to God!"
~Arthur Pink, "The God of Jacob"