Made Delightful To God In Jesus

"Today's Devotion" For May 19, 2006

Read: Psalm 149l Matthew 12:15-21

MADE DELIGHTFUL TO GOD IN JESUS

"For the Lord takes delight in His people; He crowns the humble with salvation." (Ps. 149:4)

Can you think of anything better in life than having your parents' approval? For many people, just knowing their parents approve of their spouse, their profession, and, above all, them, is the icing on the "cake of life." No doubt there are some who would debate just how important parental approval is, especially for themselves, but there's a good portion of the population of this world that craves parental approval in their lives. For many, that approval makes or breaks their sense of themselves and whether or not their lives are successes or failures. I recently read that one of the leading causes of suicide among teenagers is the sense that they're all alone and a source of disappointment to their parents.

For most of us, having a parent or parents say they're proud of us and pleased with our decisions in life, is worth more than "all the tea in China" - to use a really old expression. Many an adult has gotten through tough times because his or her parents had "faith" in them and let them know how proud of them they were. And, just as parents on earth take delight in their children's accomplishments and enjoy their successes, so also does our Father in heaven take delight in His children - those who know Him through faith in Jesus Christ.

In a number of places in the Gospel of Matthew, we are shown how much the Father "delights" in Jesus, the Son. At Jesus' baptism, the Father spoke from heaven and called Him His "beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased" (Mt. 3:17). When the Pharisees sought to kill Jesus after he healed a shriveled hand (Mt. 12:13, 14), Matthew reminds us that Jesus fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah 42:1-4 and is the "Chosen One" in whom the Father delights. It is in Jesus that God delights in us, despite our sin and disobedience, because, in Christ we have been redeemed and forgiven. Our Father in heaven is pleased with us, His children, because of Jesus. The humble Son of God - God made flesh for us - was perfectly obedient in our place in order to bear our sins and be our Savior. Following Jesus' example, we, too, walk humbly before our God, repentant sinners in need of forgiveness. And, because of Jesus are blessed by our Father in heaven with salvation - the hope and promise of eternal life with Him.

What a wonderful gift of God to know that He approves of us - delights in us - because of Jesus. We aren't left scrambling - sinners who are imperfect - with trying to appease a perfectly righteous Judge. Instead, resting our hope solely on the merits of Christ and the Father's delight in Him, we are confident that our Father in Heaven is pleased with us as well - that He delights in us, loving us with an everlasting love that can never fade away or be taken from us. What strength, hope, and peace this brings to our lives, knowing that God is pleased with us in Jesus - we are not alone or forgotten but saved and loved. God's pleasure in us makes every day worth living, every moment worth cherishing, and every breath worth breathing. And it's something we want to share with everyone.

Prayer: Father, thank You for loving me and revealing it to me in Jesus. Strengthen my faith in Him that I may always appreciate Your love for me. Help me to rejoice that You take "delight" in me and all Your people in Christ. Lead me to greater acts of love and service knowing that Your good pleasure rests on me and that You have called me to touch the lives of others with your love. Give me the confidence to share Your love in Christ with others each day so they, too, might come to know Your love and good pleasure by faith in Jesus; in whose precious name I pray. Amen.
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--Pastor Boeck

Copyright © 2006 The Rev. Richard J. Boeck, Jr. All rights reserved.