God's Thought about Us is Good

Did you ever wonder what people think about you? Do they like you, or do they judge you wrongly? - We don't usually like that! Yes, what do people really think about you? And what do you think about yourself? Because from time to time we are occupied with ourselves. Do you see your own failures? Or are you pretty well satisfied with yourself? We must be honest. We have our thoughts about others, and others have their thoughts about us. But there remains one whose judgment we have not asked yet. That is God.

What does God think about us? Does He like us? Do you know what He thinks about you? There are many people who are convinced that God is satisfied with them. They do the best they can, don't they? They give to each what is due to him, don't they? What is there in their lives that could be rejected? How would God think about them? Very well? But what if God does not think well of me? He thinks badly of me because I am not such a good person. I need not try to approach God any more, for there is so much in my life that is bad. I hardly ever pray. Going to church is nothing for me! Doing little things for others? I really want to go my own way instead of God's. So God has good reason to judge me.

Those are the two possibilities: God thinks well of me for I act right, or God does not think well of me for I do not act right. But there is a third possibility - God thinks well of me even though I cannot be good at all, of myself. That seems very illogical. - I am not good, but God has good thoughts about me. I am not pretty but God likes me. We are not lovable but God does love us. God loves us so immeasurably that He has given His Son to die on the cross for us. In the death of Jesus we can read how much God loved us, and at the same time we know what God thinks about our sins, for the punishment of our sins was put there upon Jesus Christ. He died in our place, in terrible loneliness.

Christ has restored what we have broken. He has done for us what we should have done. He has loved God and obeyed Him in our stead. Through the suffering and death of Jesus, God and man were reconciled. Enemies were made friends. And proving that God has accepted the work of Christ as payment for our sins, God has raised Him out of death. Jesus lives. God thinks well of us because He thinks well of Jesus. God acquits us, because Jesus has borne already the punishment for us. No, He does not acquit you because you are so devoted and good. No, He does not acquit you because you live so well. He acquits you because of Christ, because Christ has borne your punishment.

That is the wonderful message of the Gospel - God thinks well of us! That is what the Bible proclaims to you - God says to you, "I love you." Yes, God calls to you, "I think well of you." Yes, He even calls you by your name! When you walk in the street and you hear that your name is called, you stop and turn around, and go toward the one that called you. God is calling your name. Do you hear His call? Then stop, and turn around. Take the direction toward God. You won't let Him call for nothing, will you? He loves you so much. He thinks well of you. He gave His Son to bear the judgment for you. You may go free. That is the glad message of the Bible. We must believe it. We must accept it, accept it by faith. You can put this aside, but you can also accept it. You can reject Jesus - you can also accept Him. Open your heart to Him and let Him in. Say to Him, "Lord, I cannot point to anything good in myself, but I believe in Jesus Christ, that He has died in my place. I believe that He has paid my debt. I believe that you have accepted His punishment as my payment, and that you have raised Him from death. I believe that He lives. I accept Him as my Lord and Saviour, and rise with Him to a New Life. I thank You because now I am Your child. Amen."