1. Longing to Be Appreciated by God

The Lord earnestly wants us to believe that He takes sincere pleasure in us personally.

Let's understand a little better this yearning to be Appreciated by God.

1) We have a need to be appreciated.

Within us we have the yearning for affirmation that we are appreciated from an early age.

We were created by a God who delights in loving us, who designed us to have a need for that affirmation from him. He loves you unconditionally.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16

Our lives have value and importance precisely because God takes pleasure in us.

We are defined as important by virtue of the one who desires us, loves us, and takes pleasure in us.
2) We have the power to feel appreciated.

When our heart recognizes that we are confident that we can be fully known by God and appreciated by him, something powerful happens in our emotions.

We discover a confidence in God that we could never have imagined before.

Does this surprise you?

God takes pleasure in sincere Christians, even in their immaturity.

...and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so will your God rejoice over you. Isaiah 62:5

"It hurts not to be loved or wanted"

However, we are desired by God. While we are concerned to satisfy our longings with affirmations from others, God desires to reveal His Affections to us.

3) The value is in being desired.

Our worth is not determined by our actions, but by Who wants and values us.

What man among you, having a hundred sheep, and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the lost one until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing; Luke 15:4,5

Or what woman, having ten drachmas, if she loses one drachma, does not light the lamp, and sweep the house, and search diligently until she finds it? And finding it, summon her friends and neighbors, saying: Rejoice with me, for I have found the lost drachma. So I say to you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents. Luke 15:8-10

So have the courage to approach God because he wants to relate to you because he takes full pleasure in you.

And God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good... Genesis 1:31

The Lord is so pleased with us that when we begin to take those first trembling steps towards Him or back to Him, the Lord rushes to meet us with overflowing affections.

4) We are loved, even in our immaturity

As we understand that God desires us intensely we realize how we can be truly transformed and able to turn away from sin when we are finally rooted in the truth of the Gospel

There is nothing we can do to deserve or to disqualify ourselves from the grace God has given us.

Immaturity is nothing more than a learning path.

And which father among you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks him for a fish, will he give him a snake for a fish? Or, also, if he asks for an egg, will he give him a scorpion? For if you, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him? Luke 11:11-13

Understanding that God can and does take pleasure in us, even if we are immature, changes the way we relate to Him.

Every day we can be sure that He likes us.

When we make immature mistakes, He uses them as opportunities to teach us, without reservation or punishment.

And even when He teaches us in the midst of circumstances, He is expressing His love for us.

For the Lord corrects the one he loves, as a father the child he loves. Proverbs 3:12

5) We are God's favorites

He literally loves us the same way He loves His son Jesus.

As the Father loved me, I also loved you; remain in my love. John 15:9

We not only receive a passport to heaven, Jesus has a real interest in relating to us because he enjoys relating to us. He enjoys your company. He appreciates you as a person and as a friend.

The apostle João Auto calls himself the “Beloved Disciple”. As his relationship with Jesus grew and he gained security, John realized the essence of his relationship with Jesus. He knew that Jesus' heart burned for him when they talked.

Now Jesus, seeing his mother there, and that the disciple whom he loved was present, said to his mother: Woman, behold your son. John 19:26

So she ran and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” John 20:2

Then that disciple, whom Jesus loved, said to Peter: It is the Lord. And when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girded himself with his tunic (because he was naked) and threw himself into the sea. John 21:7

And Peter, turning around, saw that disciple whom Jesus loved following him, and who had also leaned on his bosom at supper, and said, Lord, who is it that will betray you? John 21:20

Now one of his disciples, the one whom Jesus loved, was reclining on Jesus' bosom. John 13:23

We go to the Father to find out who we are instead of going to other people.

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