Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 3:00 — 4.1MB)
As Christ-followers, those who have been born from above, our identity is found in our relationship to God the Father through Jesus Christ. We saw that we are God’s intentional creation, created by him and for him. Now, consider this:
You were created for his pleasure.
Remember the wonderful movie, Chariots of Fire, the story of that remarkable Olympic champion, the Scottish runner, Eric Liddle, who was a strong Christian committed to Jesus Christ. His missionary sister was concerned about his running career because she felt he was neglecting his calling and not putting God first. But Eric said to his sister, “Oh, don’t you see, Jenny. God made me fast and when I run, I give God pleasure.”
He got it! He understood that God took pleasure in him. I love this verse from Zephaniah 3:17:
“The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.”
Don’t you love that imagery of God rejoicing over you with singing? We often rejoice and take delight in God through singing, but to think that he does the same over us. God takes pleasure in you. You should be able to verbalize how God has created you to bring him pleasure. Maybe you would say: “Because God made me a good listener, I bring God pleasure when I listen and care about others.” Or “Because God made me a good organizer, I bring God pleasure when I organize events and run them smoothly.” Or “Because God made me a speaker, I bring God pleasure when I give a good talk or make a good presentation.”
It really doesn’t matter how God has created you; we are all very different in our gifts and abilities. But we were all created for his pleasure. It is not pride on your part to recognize how God has created you. Eric Liddle gave God the credit for his fast body, but he also recognized that it was a gift from God to bring God pleasure.
Don’t forget who you are! You were created for God’s pleasure.