"Loved" January 3 Readings: Genesis 6-7, Matthew 3, Psalm 2:7-12, Proverbs 1:7

 

 Through the Bible in 2021

Bible Readings: Genesis 6-7, Matthew 3, Psalm 2:7-12, Proverbs 1:7

Daily Devotional: Loved

As Jesus came up out of the waters of baptism, the Father looked down from heaven on his obedient Son and gave his imprimatur on the life and ministry of Jesus Christ.  In Matthew 3:17, the Father said,

“This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”  

Jesus was the only person who has ever drawn air on this earth who was able to please the Father fully.  The rest of us have failed; we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.  But Jesus was the righteous and sinless Son, and with him, the Father was pleased. 

How is it good news for a sinner like me that God is pleased with his Son? According to God's Word, we who believe are "in Christ" - clothed in the righteousness of Christ. In other words, God treats us on the basis of who Jesus in!

The sinless Christ bore our sins in his body and paid for them fully.  When we turn from our sins and trust Christ, our sins are fully forgiven and we are clothed in the righteousness of Christ. 

So, when the Father looked down on the Son he was “well-pleased.”  Now, I am clothed in the righteousness of Christ and God deals with me not on the basis of who I am (a hell-deserving sinner) but on the basis of the righteousness of Christ.  God is pleased with me because I am in Christ. 

That is true when I succeed or when I fail.  That is true when I feel good or feel bad. My relationship with the Father does not depend on what I do but on my relationship with the Son.

That is not an excuse for me to sin. But I do not serve God so that so that I can somehow become worthy or accepted.  I am accepted in Christ. I am loved in Christ. God is pleased with this sinner in Christ. Because of that love, I live for him. I serve him. I love him. I bring my body under submission so that I can better glorify him.  Living the right way does not earn me points with God, but it brings honor to the God who clothed me in Christ. 

Psalm 2:11-12 tells us,

“Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling.  Kiss the Son.”  

I often struggle with my own failures and my fear of what others will think or what they might say about me. But I must remember that I am loved and accepted in Christ. In Christ. Because of who Jesus in - the Son whom God loves!

Even as I struggle and fail, I need to keep my heart focused on the unshakable, eternal, unconditional love of the Father. 

Father, I thank you for the blood of Christ that washed away my sins and the robes of righteousness in which you have clothed me.  I want to do better, to walk in righteousness and in the fullness of the Spirit as a response of love to you, as a way to bring glory to you and so that I may serve you better.  But I thank you that I do not have to earn your love. 

Consider God's Word:

Which of the readings spoke most powerfully to you today?
Is the Spirit of God moving you to repent of something you are doing, to begin something new, or to change something about your life as a result of your readings? What?


Do you do your Christian duties and works in an attempt to gain the favor and love of God?
Or do you accept the love of God in Christ, rejoice in his love, and serve out of a full heart of joy?