Pleasing God, Making Disciples of Jesus Christ

It Is Really True

2 SAMUEL 22:17-20 – “He sent from on high, he took me; he drew me out of many waters. He rescued me from my strong enemy, from those who hated me, for they were too mighty for me. They confronted me in the day of my calamity, but the Lord was my support. He brought me out into a broad place; he rescued me, because he delighted in me.”

 

THEME OF THE DAY:  IT IS REALLY TRUE.  Do we believe today’s scripture?  Don’t be fast to say, “Of course. It is the Bible, God’s Word, I believe it.”  Now I am not attempting to create doubt, but to address the very real presence of doubt.  Take a look at the last four words in today’s scripture – He delighted in me. Do we believe it?  Do we really believe God takes delight in us?  As we proclaim, “Yes, I do”, let me add this . . . Do we believe it when we fail miserably as a Christian?  Or what about when we neglect His Word, prayer, and sharing of the Gospel due to an apathetic spirit, lukewarm heart, or in the grips of worldliness?  Kinda hard to believe God delights in us when our Christian “performance” falls short and the devil comes racing into our minds with accusations condemning us, isn’t it?

 

Well, let’s get some help here to silence him and our doubts about God delighting in us. But, we need to clear something up first.  Our “performances” as Christians always fall short. So, when we fail, not “if”, but when, and the devil comes with fiery darts of condemnation like, “Look at you. What a fine example of a follower of Jesus!  God delight in you?  Are you kidding me?  How could He based on your many failings and sins”, don’t argue with him.  Agree.  For once, he is telling the truth.  Then talk truth to ourselves about the real reasons God’s delights in us. Here are two.

First, God delights in us because God delights in us.  Profound, huh?  It is like “God loves us because God loves us.”  What is behind this simple statement is that God does what God choses to do – Remember this and stand firm, recall it to mind, you transgressors, remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,’ calling a bird of prey from the east, the man of my counsel from a far country. I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it (Isaiah 46:8-11). And He purposes to delight in His people.  Don’t try to reason it out. We can’t.  Don’t try to grasp it. We can’t.  Simply rejoice in His great electing love that says, “I delight in you.”

 

Another reason God delights in us is that He always sees His Son, the Lord Jesus, in us.  Salvation is far more than getting saved and forgiven.  It brings us into an inseparable union with the Lord Jesus so that the love God has for Christ, He has for us.  Jesus proclaimed, “As the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you” (John 15:9).  And this union? Never to be broken despite our failings and this union brings so many blessings, never relinquished because of our “poor Christian performance.  Ponder this truth from the Apostle Paul – Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love (Ephesians 1:3-4). What God freely gives, God does not freely take back!  He delights in us because He has blessed us in Christ – past, present and future – and not dependent on our conduct.

 

So, back to the opening paragraph.  Do we believe God delights in us?  Let’s proclaim with confident conviction, “Yes, I do because He has chosen to do so while putting me in the forever union with His Son, the Lord Jesus, in whom He always delights.”

 

PRAYER: “Father, help me to rejoice in the truth that You truly do take great delight in me.”

 

QUOTE: “God’s delight in us is not because we are good or earn it, but because of Who He is.”

 

Because of Him,

 

Pastor Jim