Little Messages with Big Impact
In Matthew 3:17, God declares to Jesus, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” The first part of this verse, “This is My beloved Son,” highlights the Father’s immense love for His Son. It reflects God’s heart of love and care, showing how deeply He cherishes His Son and all of His children. God’s love is unconditional, and it is the Father’s responsibility to love, nurture, and bless His children.
When you are born again through faith in Christ, your identity as a child of God is sealed. This truth must be firmly settled in your heart. No weakness, failure, or struggle you face can take that identity away. You are not defined by your past, your mistakes, or your shortcomings. You are defined by your position in Christ.
One of the most overlooked truths in the Christian life is that Jesus loves us just as the Father loves Him. Many believers find this hard to accept. Deep down, they assume God’s love is measured-based on performance, background, or worthiness. But Scripture shatters that lie. Jesus said, ‘As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you’. That means the love He gives us is not a secondhand or watered-down version-it is the very same love the Father has for Him.
The main goal of Christianity is not to pursue God’s love, but to live in such a way that we bring pleasure to the Father. As believers, our ultimate objective is to bring joy to God through our lives, just as Jesus did. His obedience to the Father brought joy to God’s heart, and we are called to follow that example. God is looking for sons and daughters who will live in a way that pleases Him, responding to His love with hearts that seek to honour Him.
The power of God’s love is truly remarkable. Consider this: when a criminal faces the consequences of their actions, somewhere there is a mother who still loves them. This is the essence of love-it gives someone what they do not deserve. And when we look at God’s love for us, we realize that His love is not based on our actions, but on His nature. Nothing-absolutely nothing-can separate us from the love of Christ. This is the bedrock of our faith.
One of the struggles many believers face in their emotional walk with God is misunderstanding the distinction between unconditional love and conditional reward. These are two different phases in our Christian journey that we must grasp if we are to have a healthy understanding of God’s dealings with us.
God loves us equally, but He
Yesterday, we began exploring the two phases of the Christian walk. Today, let’s take a deeper look into these phases and their significance for every believer.
When a person transitions from being a child of disobedience to being born again and entering into the Body of Christ, they step into the first phase of their Christian walk: a relationship with the Father. This relationship is the foundation of our sonship. However, God doesn’t expect us to remain in this initial phase. His desire is for us to progress into the second phase-pleasing Him.
In Matthew 3:17, we witness a powerful moment when God declares His approval over His Son, Jesus, before He even begins His ministry. John the Baptist hears these words: This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. As I meditated on these words, the Lord revealed to me that this statement reflects His pattern, plan, and requirement for every believer.
Continuing from where we left off, let’s explore the third type of experience that believers can encounter: Normal Experiences. These are the experiences that the majority of Christians will go through at various points in their walk with God. Unlike exceptional experiences, which are rare and often extraordinary, normal experiences are more common and routine, yet they play an important role in shaping our faith and testimony.
As believers, our journey with God encompasses different experiences, each shaping our faith and testimony. These experiences determine how we live and how others see God’s work in our lives. There are three key types of experiences that define our walk as children of God: