And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Matthew 3:17 (NKJV)
Matthew 3:13–17 tells the story of Jesus being baptized. As soon as Jesus came out of the water, the heavens opened. God’s Spirit in the form of a dove descended on Jesus, and a voice said, This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
Isn’t it interesting? God didn’t say, “This is My beloved Son. I sure hope He does well.” God said He was pleased with Jesus. But Jesus’ ministry hadn’t even started yet! He hadn’t healed the blind or the lame or walked on water. He hadn’t performed one miracle. Yet God was saying, “This is my Son. I approve.”
You can learn a lot about God from this one interaction. You don’t have to earn God’s approval. He loves you no matter what!
Some people believe God is angry and wants to nail them if they even think of a sin. They picture God as disapproving and never happy with them, and it stifles their potential.
The truth is that God approves of you! He may not always approve of your choices, but He always approves of YOU. You’re made in His likeness and image (Genesis 1:26), fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14). He made you only a little lower than Himself, crowned you with glory and majesty, and made you to rule over all other works of His hands (Psalm 8:5–8).
God approves of you. The more you realize this, the more your self-worth will come from God. And when you know who you are in Him, you’ll be empowered as you choose to accomplish every bit of the potential He’s placed within you.