Matthew 3:17 NKJV
And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.’
God declared these very words to Jesus right after He was baptised at the Jordan river. At that time, Jesus’s ministry has not yet begun. He has done no miracles, yet the Father declared Him as His beloved Son.
You are God’s beloved. Once you are born again, you have become His son/daughter. You have the Father’s love and this is not based on what you have done (i.e. conditional) – this love is unconditional.
This unconditional love is likened to a married couple who so lovingly prepared for the arrival of their new-born (i.e. the diapers, clothes, toys, rooms, colours, etc.). When the baby is born, he enters into a prepared world, simply enjoying his parent’s love, having done nothing at all. See, God’s love does not require anything from us. Our part is to only consent to be loved by Him.
JK, these lovey-dovey things that you speak about, is it that important?
Well, let’s continue the story. After God declared His love for Jesus, He went straight into the wilderness where Satan tried to tempt Him, twice saying, ‘if you are the Son of God…’
Pause right there. Did you notice something deceitfully sneaky?
Satan had used the word ‘Son’ instead of ‘beloved Son’, intentionally leaving out the word ‘beloved’, removing what the Father literally just affirmed Jesus with. Can you see that this is how satan carries out his works – to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10)? He subtly tried to rob Jesus of the knowledge that His Father loves Him.
Beloved, here’s the truth. For any temptation to be successful against you, the sense that you are God’s beloved must first be tampered with. See, the more we know how much we are so loved by Him, the more unshakable we become, because our trust is rooted in His unshakable love for us.
Let us meditate on God’s love for us. The word says that nothing can ever separate us from His love (Romans 8:35-39), not even our wrongdoings, mistakes or feelings of guilt. Even when you sin and feel ashamed, He is right there, not condemning you, but loving on you. Not once has He turned away or left you.
But I don’t feel Him!
Our feelings do not determine our closeness with Him because feelings come and go. Even when we do feel His presence at times, our trust is ultimately not in our feelings but in the infallible Word. Let’s see what Scripture says about this:
You who once were [so very] far away [from God] have been brought near by the blood of Christ (Ephesians 2:13 AMP).
Jesus’s shed blood has permanently brought us close to Him! You may not always feel His presence, but He is right there with you and in you! The Word also says that the Holy Spirit (who is God Himself) dwells in you (1 Corinthians 3:16).
Practice His love for you! See Him walking with you wherever you go, talking to you, enjoying your presence See Him always available 24/7 for you to express yourself to Him! Oh, how He delights to hear from you! ❤️ And He never gets bored of you or your problems. He never runs dry. Let His love cause us to be unshakable 🙂
Declare this everyday – ‘I am the beloved son/daughter whom Jesus loves!’
Amen!