Did you know God delights in you? It is a common fallacy that God is displeased with humanity, if not outright angry. Scripture, when it is not accurately interpreted through the lens of Christ/His finished work/Union and love, can certainly look that way. Coupled with our own internal sense of where we fail and have defiled our own consciences, God’s displeasure in us can often feel right on the mark.
Persuaded of God’s Love
We then struggle with knowing that Scripture repeatedly illuminates God’s accepting love and, at the same time, feeling a pervasive sense of unworthiness, insecurity, and shame over the ugly parts of ouIt is a common fallacy that God is displeased with humanity, if not outright angry. Scripture, when it is not accurately interpreted through the lens of Christ/His finished work/Union and love, can certainly look that way.rselves that we don’t like to show. This is known as cognitive dissonance, which is defined as:
the state of having inconsistent thoughts, beliefs, or attitudes, especially as relating to behavioral decisions and attitude change.
Cognitive dissonance is referred to scripturally as double-mindedness. James 1:6-8 (TPT) elaborates on the disempowerment that results:
6 Just make sure you ask empowered by confident faith without doubting that you will receive. For the ambivalent person believes one minute and doubts the next. Being undecided makes you become like the rough seas driven and tossed by the wind. You’re up one minute and tossed down the next. 7–8 When you are half-hearted and wavering it leaves you unstable. Can you really expect to receive anything from the Lord when you’re in that condition?
Overcoming Disappointment in Ourselves
When I was still detoxing from performance-driven toiling and viewing God through a faulty lens, I interpreted verse 8 as God requiring perfect faith before He would be willing to give me anything. As human beings, we often project how we feel about ourselves onto others. When we are disappointed in ourselves, we often project that onto God and believe He is disappointed in us. Where others have required us to perform to earn their good graces, we mistakenly think we have to earn favor from God. But this is not at all what verse 8 is saying. When we focus on our performance, we stand condemned. This is what this is alluding to. Many of us have had a very loud inner critic who undermines our ability to receive.
But when we focus on Christ’s performance on our behalf, we are stable and whole-hearted, trusting in His graciousness to receive what was His heart to give us in the first place. Faith works by love (Galatians 5:6). So, when we are not rooted and secure the truth that we are infinitely loved – that there are no ugly parts of us outside Love, we are hamstrung in our ability to receive from God. This is the basis of religious striving – trying to show God our pretty parts and good works to be accepted by God, we attempt to hide what we perceive as ugly parts and bad deeds. We do the same with one another, afraid that, if people really knew us, we would be rejected. That is no way to live and it is a huge trap!
Chosen by God
But I have some good news (It’s called the gospel – the REAL version)! God not only loves humanity and has accepted humanity, He delighted and delights in us so much that He became one of us for eternity! Christ, 1/3 of the Godhead, has a human form and is in union with humanity for eternity! Not only that, but He chose to be joined with humanity before humanity was created.
Ephesians 1:4 (TPT) says:
4 And he chose us to be his very own, joining us to himself even before
he laid the foundation of the universe! Because of his great love, he ordained us, so that we would be seen as holy in his eyes with an unstained innocence.
2 Timothy 1:9-10 (TPT) also talks about securing us in union before He sent us to the natural realm:
9 He gave us resurrection life and drew us to himself by his holy calling on our lives. And it wasn’t because of any good we have done, but by his divine pleasure and marvelous grace that confirmed our union with the anointed Jesus, even before time began! 10 This truth is now being unveiled by the revelation of the anointed Jesus, our life-giver, who has dismantled death, obliterating all its effects on our lives, and has manifested his immortal life in us by the gospel.
The Delight of God
Being chosen and in union with God is an astounding truth. But I also want to focus on an additional truth that is necessary for us to bask in. God did not just join us to Himself before we had any opportunity to show our worth or brilliance, He was thrilled about it!
Ephesians 1:4 says that His love was so great that He ordained us or, as one Eastern Aramaic text can be translated, “He marked us with his love.” The Greek text states “predestined us” or “set us apart.” God was taking no chances with us! Moreover, 2 Timothy 1:9 says this was His divine pleasure to confirm our union! God delighted in you and had to secure you because of His great love!
Proverbs 8:30-31 (TPT) brings out a whole other dimension of God and His feelings for the human race. Christ, as Wisdom, states:
30 I was there, close to the Creator’s side as his master artist.
Daily he was filled with delight in me as I playfully rejoiced before him.
31 I laughed and played, so happy with what he had made,
while finding my delight in the children of men.
Wow! Christ, the exact representation of Father God, was thrilled with what He had made – so much so, He laughed and frolicked!!! He delighted not only in Adam – but in the children of men who were born after the fall!
It is not a generic delight – it is very PERSONAL! God delights in you right now – with all your stuff! And He wants you to know it!!! How is His delight over you hitting you? If you are struggling, or just want to know His delight in a greater way, you will want to dive into my “Marked by Love” book. Click here.
If you really want to dive in you will want to take my “Marked by Love Course.”
Enjoying God’s delight is your birthright! I’d love to hear from you about experiencing God’s delight!
XO,
Catherine
