‘That’s my boy’
After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and coming upon Him, and behold, a voice out of the heavens saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased." - MATTHEW 3:16-17
My heart takes great pleasure in our three sons. I thrill at Cliff’s music, Ben’s intellectual insights and Ed’s creative zest. I have many “sons” and “daughters” spiritually and delight in them all, but not at the same level as with my “direct-born,” biological sons. Our natural children have a special place in our hearts no one else can occupy. But if somehow my “spiritual” sons and daughters could become one with my biological sons, I would feel the same extraordinary pleasure over their accomplishments I do for my natural sons.
This is precisely what happens when we receive Christ, we become “joint heirs” with Him, and are “merged” into His relationship with the Father! (ROMANS 8:17) When Jesus allowed John to baptize Him, Jesus was signaling His willingness to be identified with sinners, and to take on the mission of atoning for the world’s sins. At that point, the Father expressed His immense pleasure in His Son.
If you are one with Jesus Christ, God the Father takes the same pleasure with you that He does with His only begotten Son!
TODAY’S FOCUS
Meditate on the fact that when God sees you, if you are one with Christ, He takes the same pleasure in you as He does Jesus. Let this sink in, and lead you to worship God for receiving you this way.