Having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. —Ephesians 1:5–6
DO YOU BELIEVE that you are beloved and highly favored by God? Ephesians 1:6 says, “to the praise of the glory of His grace [unmerited favor], by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.” It is not possible for us to make ourselves accepted. We are made accepted by the glory of the Lord’s unmerited favor. The word “accepted” in Ephesians 1:6 is the Greek word charitoo. Now, the root word for charitoo is charis,1 which means “grace.” So charitoo simply means “highly graced” or “highly favored.” In other words, you are highly favored in the Beloved!
For the devil’s temptations to work, he cannot remind you that you are God’s beloved.
Now, we know that “the Beloved” in Ephesians 1:6 refers to Jesus. If you read on, it says in the next verse that “In Him [Jesus the Beloved] we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace [unmerited favor].” Now, why didn’t the Bible just say that we are highly favored in Jesus or in Christ? (There are no insignificant details in the Bible.) Why did the Holy Spirit choose specifically to say that we are highly favored “in the Beloved”? “Beloved” is a warm and intimate term that was used by God at the Jordan River to describe Jesus. The Bible tells us that when Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River, as soon as He came up from the water, “He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove. Then a voice came from heaven, ‘You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased’” (Mark 1:10–11).
In these scriptures, you can see the triune God —God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. This tells us that there is something very important for us to learn here. God the Father spoke publicly and His words were recorded for you to know that to be “accepted in the Beloved” means that God is well pleased with you today. See yourself sandwiched right smack in the midst of Jesus, God’s Beloved. When God looks at you, He doesn’t see you in your failures and shortcomings. He sees you in Jesus’ perfection and loveliness! Because you are in Christ, God says to you, “You, _______________ (insert your name here), are My beloved, in whom I am well pleased.” Jesus is well-pleasing to God because He kept the law perfectly. You and I are well-pleasing to God because we are accepted and highly favored in the Beloved, who took all our sins and fulfilled the law on our behalf!
Immediately after Jesus was baptized, He was led into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. The devil came to Jesus and said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread” (Matthew 4:3). Now, don’t forget that Jesus had just heard the voice of His Father affirming Him with the words “You are My beloved Son.” Years ago, as I was studying Jesus’ temptations by the devil, the Lord asked me, “Did you notice that the devil dropped one word when he came to tempt My Son?” I had never heard anyone preach this before or read this in any book, but God opened my eyes to see that the devil had omitted the word “beloved”! God had just told Jesus, “You are My beloved Son.” But shortly after that, the devil came to Jesus, saying, “If You are the Son of God…” The word “beloved” is missing! The serpent had deliberately left out the word “beloved”! The Lord then showed me that for the devil’s temptations to work, he cannot remind you that you are God’s beloved. The moment you are reminded of your identity as God’s beloved in Christ, he will not be able to succeed! It is no wonder that the devil wants to rob believers of their sense of being God’s beloved. So don’t fall for the devil’s trick. Remind yourself today and every day that you are God’s beloved!
Today’s Prayer
Father, I thank You that You accept, love and favor me because I am found in Christ, Your Beloved. I did not do anything to deserve this—it is all Christ and Your undeserved favor. Help me to always be conscious of the fact that I am Your beloved child. Thank You for showing me that the more conscious I am of this truth, the more the devil’s temptations cannot succeed in my life. Today, I expect good things to happen to me—just because I am Your beloved child!
Today’s Thought
I am God’s beloved and highly favored in Christ the Beloved.
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Prince, Joseph. 100 Days Of Favor, Daily Readings From Unmerited Favor.