"...and behold, a voice from heaven said, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well
pleased." - Matthew 3:17
Notice how God responds to His Son, "I love you, and I am proud of you."
Proud of what? At this point, Jesus had no accomplishments. No ministry. No triumph in the
wilderness. No disciples. No friends, no enemies; He is inconsequential.
Yet the Father loves Him, and the Father is pleased. The Father's pleasure is not derived from the
Son's work. The Father's pride isn't predicated on the Son's performance. The Father is proud
simply because Jesus is His Son. He loves His Son long before the Son ever does anything.
A few months back, my son wanted a new pair of shoes. He told me, "Dad, these shoes will make
me faster...." Matthew 3:17 came to mind. I told Malachi, "I don't know if these shoes will make
you any faster, but I think your fast just the way you are."
As Christians, our worth is not based on our performance. Our worth is based upon the
performance of another—King Jesus.
Satan says, "your performance + the opinion of others = your self worth."
God says, "Jesus' performance + who God says you are = your self worth."
God loves you because when He looks at you, He sees His Son. If you do nothing more than
hope, trust, and look to Christ, that will be enough.