He's Pleased With You

Big Idea: Jesus has made us pleasing to God.
Zephaniah 3.17 (CSB): The LORD your God is among you, a warrior who saves. He will rejoice over you with gladness. He will be quiet in his love. He will delight in you with singing. 

Devotional: I first encountered today’s verse about five years ago, but only recently did I begin to understand it. Over the past few months, I have been working through what it means to be free in Christ. I still haven't arrived at an answer, but by God’s grace, I will. This verse, however, has helped me begin to understand what freedom in Christ is. So, let’s be honest for a moment.
 
I am going to assume that you’re totally convinced that God loves you. However, I would venture to say that you are not convinced that God likes you. Think about it...have you ever considered the fact that God not only loves you, but likes you, too? (I know, it might be a bit mind-blowing!)
 
Today’s verse shows us that God gladly rejoices over us. In other words, he shows great joy and delight in us! In fact, we’re even told that he delights over us with singing! God is so delighted with us that he sings because of his delight.
 
Maybe, you don’t feel very pleasing or delightful to God. I would encourage you to remember that if you’re in Christ, then Jesus himself has made you 100% righteous, pleasing, and delightful before God! We did nothing to earn that righteousness. Rather, God has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began (2 Tim. 1.9).
 
For Reflection…
 
-Do you believe that you are pleasing to God? Why or why not?
 
-Read and memorize Romans 5.1-5.
 
-Pray and thank God for making you pleasing and delightful to him. Ask him to help you wholeheartedly embrace your standing before him.

I am totally pleasing before God because of what Jesus has done and nothing can ever change that!