In the kids’ class that I teach at church, this past week we learned about John the Baptist. Then in my morning time this week, I was reading about him again. There’s a section in the story I can’t get away from.
It’s when Jesus comes up out of the water, and God the Father from Heaven says, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” Mark writes it this way, “You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy.”
Great Joy
I’ve been mulling over those words this week. Here’s what I’ve been pondering: God says to his Son, “You bring me great joy.” That’s what God sees when he sees Jesus. The Bible tells us multiple times that because of what Jesus did on the cross, when we accept God’s gift of salvation, we become sons and daughters. So does God look at you and me and think: You bring me great joy? I think he does.
If you have children, think about what they do that brings you great joy. For each of my kids it’s something different. Our eight-year-old Macey has the best laugh. When she gets going, it’s the cutest thing. It makes Matt and I smile with love and affection. Each of our kids bring us such joy. We love them so much.
God’s Joy
If we love our kids that much and they bring us such great joy, how much more does our Heavenly Father love us? How much joy must we bring to him?
We get so hard on ourselves and so down on ourselves because of our failures and mistakes, but we need to remember how God sees us. We need to remember this:
You bring great joy to God!
So when we get down on yourself and feel discouraged or worthless, remember that God sees great value in you. You bring him great joy just by being you. So be the you he created you to be and find your value in him!
A few years ago, Matt and I listened to a podcast interview with Eugene Peterson, who is best known for giving us The Message translation of the Bible. We heard his story of being a pastor and why he translated the Bible into modern language for his people. We loved hearing his story and spent time learning all about the amazing man that he was. Sadly, he died in 2018, but the legacy he has left this world is undeniable. For a while, I have been wanting to get a copy of The Message Bible to be able to study as a part of my morning time. If you want an idea of what my morning time routine looks like, read My Best Tips for an Effective Morning Time.
My Christmas Present
My wish came true. Matt bought me a beautiful purple soft leather Message translation Bible for Christmas. I feel like I have been reading the Bible again for the first time. It’s been a nice change-up in my Bible reading. I have so enjoyed my mornings! I love comparing these new verses with the ones I have been familiar with for years in the King James Version.
My new Bible
Changing my Thinking of God’s Love
This past week, I read a verse that totally changed my thinking about God’s love. I was reading in the book of John. Chapter seventeen records Jesus’ prayer in the garden. He spends the bulk of his prayer praying for the disciples and followers he was leaving behind. The last verse in the chapter really caught my attention. Here is the verse as found in The Message, then in the King James.
I have made your very being known to them— Who you are and what you do— And continue to make it known, So that your love for me Might be in them Exactly as I am in them. John 17:26 MSG
Isn’t that an amazing verse? Pay close attention to the words I darkened. Remember the context. Jesus is talking to God his Father. Jesus says, “So that your love for me might be in them.” Here is the same verse in the KJV translation.
And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them. John 17:26 KJV
Struggling with the Concept of God’s Love
A lot of us struggle with the concept of God loving us for a myriad of reasons. Maybe we didn’t grow up with a father who was good to us. That gave us a bad picture of our heavenly Father. Maybe we don’t feel worthy of God’s love. We know in our heads that God loves us, but feeling it and believing it in our hearts is a different story.
When we talk about God loving us, we struggle to comprehend and understand it. So then we don’t live our life feeling loved.
When we read in John that God loved his son, we understand that. We can comprehend that. Jesus says to God, “Let the love that you have for me be in them.” That is so much more understandable and relatable. We get that kind of love. It’s a parent’s love for their child. We accept the fact that God loves His Son so much! That same love is the love that is in our hearts as children of God.
Living Loved
That thought makes me lift my head a little higher and puts a smile on my face. It’s an amazing concept! That makes loving other people a little easier too.
When I walked into church this past Sunday, I reminded myself that God’s love for Jesus is the love that’s in my heart. That thought makes it so much easier to open my heart and love other people. When we fully begin to grasp the concept that God’s love for Jesus fills our hearts, we can live knowing we are fully and deeply loved. What does living loved look like practically?
Inviting someone into our home for a meal.
Writing a note of encouragement to someone going through a hard time.
Making a meal for someone who is sick or has been in the hospital.
Taking cookies to our neighbors.
Listening to someone pour out their heart to us.
When we live loved, we no longer worry about doing things because we want a pat on the back or someone to notice us. We simply do it because of the overflowing love found in our own hearts, the love that God has for His Son Jesus.
