He Delights In You

You and I share the distinct honor, as believers, to be God’s beloved children.

What higher privilege could one possibly consider for life itself? The same extravagant love that exists in the heart of the Father for His beloved son Jesus, He also has for you and me according to John 17. When He sees us He sees His most prized possession. From the beginning of time, the God of all creation has earnestly desired to obtain a people for Himself, and He has been radically pursuing them ever since. We often misunderstand and can tend to believe that somehow someway we did something to in fact earn this type of radical love, as if our good behavior granted us His approval. Although this type of love is not based upon our ability or lack thereof to simply behave well, keep it all together, or remain upright. His love is rather based upon what He did for us on the cross, not what we do or don’t do for Him. Jesus Christ is steadfast and He’s not fickle or wishy-washy. He remains the same throughout all the ups and downs of our lives and throughout all of eternity.

Before we chose to say yes to Him, He said yes to us. He pursued us long before we chose to pursue Him, and He’s pursuing you right this very second! Jesus longs to fellowship with you, to commune with you, and speak to you as His friend. Moses did and so can we! Deep within the heart of God lies a jealous desire to sweep you away into a never-ending love affair with Himself. His heart is currently on fire right now to capture your affection and never let you go.

The book of Hebrews describes Him as an all-consuming fire. In other words, to keep it simple, He desires to be our everything. He takes supreme joy in His children and looks upon us with tender mercy. The arms of God remain open to embrace those who willingly choose to fall into His trustworthy embrace. He is a strong tower, and the righteous run into it and they are safe. On your worst days that you can imagine, He loves you the same. On the days when you can’t seem to get it right, fail to hit the mark, lash out in anger, or lose your hope altogether, He remains a present help in the time of need. He willfully chooses to stick closer than a brother.

If you’re questioning your identity today and are wondering if He even cares about what you’re going through, I wrote this short blog to tell you, HE DELIGHTS IN YOU!

It’s easy to believe otherwise and fall into the trap of isolation, but you’re not alone. To the single mother whose children have drifted far from home, He delights in you! To the hard-working dad who’s exhausted from the pressure of performing at work, He delights in you! To the teenage boy who’s trying so hard to fit in with the “popular crowd” and has forgotten who you even are anymore, He delights in you! To the teenage girl who spends every morning staring at herself in the mirror to make sure she’s pretty enough to get that certain guy’s attention, He delights in you! To the college student who’s overwhelmed by the stress of graduating with your degree and working a full-time job all at the same time, He delights in you!

You may not believe it right now, but whatever mistakes you’ve made or pain you’ve endured, you are NOT disqualified to receive the love of Christ today! He doesn’t define you by your failures, He defines you as His dearly beloved child and your identity is secure. You cannot earn it, gain it, work for it, or even fight for it. We must choose to forgive ourselves and accept His perfect forgiveness. If you’re under the assumption that you are no longer worthy to receive His mercy, friend you’re assumption is incorrect. Allow His kindness to lead you to repentance. His mercy is available and He has not turned His back away from you. You are God’s beautiful masterpiece and His true treasure.

He loves you with intense passion, and there’s nothing you can do to ever change it. The genesis of you walking in complete freedom is becoming convinced of your royal, beloved identity in Christ that’s unchanging. Receive it, believe it, and walk in it. Today could be the day that everything changes!