A voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”
Mark 1:11
Proud or Pleased
Daily Devotion – January 8, 2018
Devotion based on Mark 1:11
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Ken was always proud of his son. His academic and athletic achievements spoke for themselves. At the same time, Ken was not always pleased with his son. There were numerous indiscretions which made Ken question his son’s judgment.
What Ken experienced with his son, God the Father also experiences with me. He can be proud of me as part of his wonderful creation. He can be proud of the way I strive to follow his law written in my heart. At the same time, he is not always pleased with me. My willful disobedience, my poor judgment, and my selfish choices regularly become a source of displeasure. As a result, God has every right to abandon me and let me deal with disastrous outcomes of my life.
When God could have subjected me to his divine displeasure, he showed his love instead. This moved him to send his Son into my world. Jesus became my substitute to do what I could never do. He secured God the Father’s good pleasure by living a sinless life and perfectly accomplishing everything his Father commanded. God signaled his acceptance of his perfectly obedient Son when he said, “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”
God was more than proud. He proclaimed Jesus had come to accomplish the impossible on my behalf. Through faith in Jesus and in his perfect, pleasing life, God now credits me with what Jesus did. God the Father now says to me through Jesus, “I am well pleased with you.”
This precious work on the part of my Savior releases me from the burden of trying to please God on my own. It also frees me from the horror of not measuring up to his divine standards. It finally moves me to live my life in loving service to the praise of my God and Savior. What a comfort it is to know God is more than proud of me; he is pleased with me through faith in Jesus Christ.
Prayer:
Gracious Lord, Heavenly Father, I can only disappoint you with my rebellious and selfish ways. How blessed I am to know the comfort of forgiveness and the joy of perfect obedience through faith in Jesus my Savior. Amen.
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