Have you ever stopped to think that maybe, just maybe, God likes you?
Let that sink in. Yeah, yeah, I know. You’ve not measured up, you’ve failed, you’ve not been the best that you could’ve been. In spite of those let downs and in spite of all the reasons on your list that God may not like you…he actually looks at you and smiles.
You? Yes, you! He still wants the best for you, He still has a hope and future for you, He still believes you’re a pretty neat person. He still has a plan for you.
No matter where you are in life, what you’ve done (or haven’t done) or how much money or what status you may have or don’t have, it doesn’t change the fact that God likes you. And wants the best for you. And takes note of you. And sees exactly where you are.
Many of the scriptures that demonstrate God’s love for us are directed at those who are Christian, those who have a direct relationship with Him. One of the most poignant pictures of that is in Zephaniah 3:17, where it says: “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.” Zephaniah 3:17 NIV.
But what most people don’t — or can’t come to grips with — is that God isn’t walking around with a baseball bat ready to bop you over the head at your next misstep. Yes, he corrects, and that’s a good thing.
But you must know, understand and recognize this: He is for you, not against you. He delights in you, not frowns at you. He is close to you, not far away.
Yes, I know, there are scriptures that indicate that He sometimes frowns and others that seem to express his displeasure. Those are still true at certain times along the way, but it still doesn’t change the fact that God wants His best for you. He likes you. And He never gives up on you.
God is pulling for you, he wants you to win. He wants you to be successful. He wants to spend some time with you. He wants you to become your best.
Romans 8:31 says: “What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” (NIV).
Take that scripture just a little further: If God is for you, what does it matter who’s against you?
Once you realize that God actually likes you, that He is working on your behalf, it will change your perspective. It will cause you to see the world differently, it will cause you to see your job differently, it will even cause you to see your friends and family differently. It will cause you to see yourself differently.
Take a moment to consider: Is it possible that God actually likes you? Could He possibly be looking and working in a positive way in your life? Does he want good things for you? Will He actually work out that situation for you…in a positive way?
The answer to all of the above questions is YES!
“‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord. ‘Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.'”
So, if God likes you, if He wants the best for you, if He is pulling for you, if He is working on your behalf…who are you to disagree?