Is God Well Pleased with You?

I really want that "well pleased and beloved child" endorsement from God. You know the feeling if you’re a parent, grandparent, proud aunt, uncle or friend – and you love that one so much that you can’t help yourself. You exclaim "That one's mine! I am so proud of him/her.”

In our Gospel reading yesterday, we heard the second time when God’s booming voice declared “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased. Listen to him.” (Matthew 17:5) This time it was at the transfiguration of Jesus. The first time it was at Jesus' baptism by John the Baptist when Father God's booming voice declared from heaven: "“This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased." (Matthew 3:17) We take after our Heavenly Father. He was a proud Papa and wanted the world to know He was proud of His boy. It was sort of like His birth announcement for His boy. He flung one colossal star in the sky to let us know that He was giving us mere mortals the STAR of the show!

With all my heart -- I want to hear “You are My beloved daughter” because I have brought God so much pleasure with my life. Those words about Jesus were obviously an endorsement by God the Father for His Son, Jesus Christ. But as we hear it again, hear it as an endorsement by God over YOUR life. Imagine if God announced you as “My beloved son or daughter.” The fact is: we are His beloved children. We are not His beloved slaves, or servants, or employees. We are His beloved children!

And here is the challenge for us: “Is our life measuring up to the phrase “with you I am well pleased”? We literally need to think of each action that we take during our day and ask ourselves, “What is God saying about me?” Is He taking pleasure over us when we acknowledge Him, when we sit at His feet and visit with Him, when we choose the fruit of the Spirit during our day (love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control) and those times we put others before ourselves?

I have a feeling each time He says the same thing about us as He did His only and only Son "I am well pleased.” And when we fail and even sin, He is still saying “You are my beloved child” but He reminds us that we can do better. Daily, we should strive for hearing those words to us: "You are my beloved son or daughter. I am well pleased with you." I want to make Papa God proud. How about you?

Marked & Branded in Baptism

Day 40 of Photo Inspirations -- Baptism Weekend
Over 150 people were baptized at the LifeChurch.tv Jenks Campus​ this weekend. There are few things as significant and inspiring as witnessing precious people expressing their faith in Christ by being baptized.   They've  put the past behind them and they openly confessed they're brand new, clean, forgiven and living in the "Jesus" camp now.   Being a follower of Christ has so many benefits --  acceptance into the family of God, limitless love, God's unmerited favor, grace, forgiveness of sins and purpose in life.

It's quite humbling to get into the water in front of everyone. There's a huge pool that is set up at the front of the auditorum.  Those being baptized climb a ladder and descend down the other side into the water of the pool.  A huge crowd of people are witnessing this beautiful act and are enthusiastically cheering them on.   We're identified with Christ, and just like He was baptized to identify with us, we're baptized to identify with Him. He was buried and rose again, and guess what? We get buried under the water and we rise again. This baptism experience is our way of publicly witnessing our faith in Christ, being forgiven of sin and expressing our willingness to be a fully devoted follower of Christ.  

When Jesus was baptized, He came out of the water, (Matthew  3:16-18), the heavens suddenly opened for Him, and the Spirit of God descended like a dove and came down on Him. And there came a voice from heaven: This is My beloved Son. I take delight in Him!"   And, for all those 150 who were baptized this weekend at LifeChurch.tv Jenks -- they received God's "stamp of approval" and God was more than likely saying about each one...."This is my beloved son. This is my beloved daughter.  I take delight in in them!"  

I'm so thrilled that I received that stamp of approval, myself, many years ago and it is my greatest defense against the enemy when He tries to tell me I'm unworthy or not forgiven, or not loved.  Too bad for him -- I've been MARKED & BRANDED with that "stamp of approval"!  How about you?