His Beloved

and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” Matthew 3:17

“Beloved Son.”

“I am well pleased with Him.”

i.e. – “Hey humans – my created ones, this is Jesus. He’s my son and I’m crazy about Him. He brings me extraordinary joy and pleasure. I’m proud of Him.”

Before the fierce exam of Satan in the wilderness…

Before Jesus engages in His first miracle…

Before He recruits followers…

Identity.

Son.

Beloved Son.

Before He does… He is.

Before He does… He delights.

Lost in the clutter and chaos of exploding egos and flattering self-portraits… we search for identity. Who are we?

Do our actions, performance and accomplishments define us? Does our resume reveal who we are? Is it the trophies, the gold watches, the nest egg, the address, the endorsements, the “likes,” the “friends,” or the “followers” that produces our identity?

If so, then the true north of our personal identity will be anything but True. We’ll be buoyed on our good days and crushed on our bad.

Any sustainable change in behavior has to be anchored in an indestructible identity.

That is why, when we are given the position of “children of God,” everything changes. The order is important. We don’t change everything to be children of God… no, we are declared His children, and then we are invited to live into that calling, that position, that relationship, that stewardship.

See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don’t recognize that we are God’s children because they don’t know him. Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. 1 John 3:1-2

God’s children.

And as His children, we are His beloved. As His children we bring Him delight.

Last year 21,000 leaders who are a part of Youth For Christ USA engaged in authentic, Christ-sharing relationships with 125,000 teenagers who have yet to embrace the reality of this adoption into the family of God.

These are lost and broken and self-destructive and marginalized and pregnant and incarcerated and confused and addicted and poor and fatherless and affluently- distracted and identity-adrift teenagers.

And before we expect anything to change…

Identity.

Sons and daughters.

God as Father.

Jesus as brother, Savior… then model and guide.

“My beloved son…” “My beloved daughter…”

From the lips of God to the heart of His people.

Identity first.

i.e. – “Hey humans – my created ones. You are my sons and daughters and I’m crazy about you. You bring me extraordinary joy and pleasure. I’m proud of you.”

His beloved.