GOD IS WELL PLEASED WITH YOU, HIS BELOVED

By Joseph Prince – Posted May 12, 2017 

Ephesians 1:6

…He (God) made us accepted in the Beloved.

Studies have shown that in the heart of every child is a cry for his father’s approval. Something happens when a father says to his boy, “Daddy is so proud of you.” Or when a father says to his girl, “You will always be Daddy’s favorite girl.”

You can catch such a similar special moment in the Bible when God the Father displayed His approval of His Son — “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17) The Bible shows us that Jesus’ ministry began with the approval of the Father, even before He had performed any miracle.

Now, you may think that God would naturally say that of Jesus, but not of us. My friend, the truth is that Jesus came for us and as us. He died for us and as us. He received the approval of the Father for us and as us. He came as our representative. And if that is not enough, God tells us in His Word that we are “accepted in the Beloved”!

Why did God specifically say “accepted in the Beloved” and not simply “accepted in Christ”? I believe that it is because He is calling to our remembrance what had happened at the Jordan river where He said, “This is My Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” God wants us to know that we are His beloved and that He is well pleased with us.

God sees us as His beloved because He has made us accepted in the Beloved. He wants us to wake up every day knowing that we are His beloved, unconditionally loved and wholly approved.

The more we know how much we are loved and treasured by God, the more we can expect good things to happen in our lives. We can expect to be healthy and whole. When we realize that we are the objects of God’s love, instead of becoming easily frightened or threatened by anything or anyone, we become confident that we will win every fight of life.

That, my friend, is how your heavenly Father wants you to live. So live life today confident that you are God’s beloved!

Thought For The Day

Like Jesus, you are God’s beloved, unconditionally loved and wholly approved.

Be Full of It

By Joel Osteen – Posted May 12, 2017

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE:

"These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full."
(John 15:11, KJV)

TODAY'S WORD:

Jesus came to give you joy and joy to the full! When your joy is full, it can be seen by others. Joy is supposed to be displayed. As believers, we should have a smile on our face and a spring in our step. We should be kind and friendly. We should be fun to be around. We should be full of His supernatural joy! 

Have you allowed the pressures of life to push you down? Have you been more focused on your circumstances than on your God? If you’re not enjoying your life or relationships, it’s time to refocus and tap into the full joy within. It’s time to draw the line in the sand and say, “That’s it. I’m not going to live another day negative, discouraged, sour or grumpy. I’m going to put a smile on my face. I’m going to let my joy be seen so I can brighten somebody else’s day. I’m going to live my life happy and full of joy!” 

Friend, when you take that step of faith and choose to trust God with your future, something changes on the inside. Your feelings will soon line up. Your faith will tap into His supernatural joy. And when you tap into joy, you tap into His strength and victory so you can live the full, abundant life He has prepared for you!

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Father, thank You for the gift of joy. Thank You for lavishing Your love and grace on me. Fill me with Your power, strength and virtue so that my joy will overflow and be a blessing everywhere I go in Jesus’ name. Amen.

 Identify Who You Are

By Joyce Meyer - Posted May 12, 2017

Let him turn away from wickedness and shun it, and let him do right. Let him search for peace (harmony; undisturbedness from fears, agitating passions, and moral conflicts) and seek it eagerly. [Do not merely desire peaceful relations with God, with your fellowmen, and with yourself, but pursue, go after them!]
—1 Peter 3:11 

Paul said, “I want to do what is right, but I can’t” (see Romans 7:15-25). He was a new person on the inside because he was born again, but he still had to resist the temptation to sin. 

Paul explained that “the sin [principle]” (v. 20) continues to dwell in us. We want to do right, but we don’t have the power to perform it, because evil is ever present to tempt us to do wrong. Only God can deliver us from this tendency to sin; that is why we must ask Him to deliver us from evil each day.

Don’t Worry

By DR. David Jeremiah – Posted May 12, 2017

Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?
Matthew 6:25

Recommended Reading: 1 Samuel 12:24

Think of all the different kinds of “daily bread” that can be here today and gone tomorrow: money, house, cars, possessions, jobs, health, and more. In fact, every tangible thing in our life is something we have no ultimate control over. And those are the things Jesus said we should never spend time and energy worrying about—which makes perfect sense. Why worry about those things over which we have no control?

The one thing that cannot be taken away is the only thing we need going forward into the future: our faith and the intangible values (perseverance, hope, and the like) that arise from our faith. The apostle Paul confirmed the necessity of faith: “Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful” (1 Corinthians 4:2). We are stewards (slaves) of the God who has bought us for Himself. Our provision is His “worry,” not ours. He has promised to meet the needs of those who love Him.

Don’t worry about tomorrow, Jesus said. Trust your heavenly Father with the faith you can never lose.

Worry over poverty is as fatal to spiritual fruitfulness as is gloating over wealth. 
A. W. Pink