God likes me? PART II

Three umpires are boasting, each one thinking that his approach to calling a ball or a strike is superior.

The first umpire says, “I calls ‘em as I sees ‘em.”

The second umpire says, “I calls ‘em as they are.”

The third umpire says, “They are as I calls ‘em.”

I always liked this one. When I heard this, I kind of liked the third umpire, even though I thought he was a little arrogant and even unfair. His "call" can be a horrible one, yet it still stands. "They are as he calls 'em" and, as unfair as this may be, the fact is: it's the truth. And there may be a good analogy here of God calling the believer in Jesus "righteous," even though his behavior doesn't quite line up. I'll explain:

In this analogy, the umpire's call, or evaluation, is regarding if you are a condemned sinner, or a precious saint. Let's say that the first umpire’s call represents your self-evaluation, the second umpire’s call represents other’s evaluation of you, and the the third umpire’s call represents God’s evaluation of you. I'll go into a little more detail:

The first umpire’s call represents your self-evaluation – your own understanding. You "call yourself as you see yourself" but, with your limited knowledge and insight, you will see your sin as either overwhelming (letting it define you and being discouraged or condemning yourself), or you will ignore it and not deal with it correctly (avoiding the remorse and repentance it warrants and becoming proud, arrogant, deceived).

We are commanded to "not depend on our own understanding..."

Prov 3:5-8

Trust in the Lord with all your heart;

do not depend on your own understanding.

Seek his will in all you do,and he will show you which path to take.

Don't be impressed with your own wisdom.Instead,

fear the Lord and turn away from evil.

Then you will have healing for your bodyand strength for your bones.

The second umpire’s call represents other’s evaluation of you; those who posture as “experts," or those we look at as experts. You think they "see you for who you really are." These may be your accusers, critical of all your faults and sins (which, by the way, really are there), or, they may be deceived themselves and belittle sins, elevating you to “godhood” as if you had no sin at all (i.e. New Age, Christian Science).

Rev 12:10-11

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Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:

"Now have come the salvation and the power
and the kingdom of our God,and the authority of his Christ.
For the accuser of our brothers,
who accuses them before our God day and night,
has been hurled down.
They overcame himby the blood of the Lamb
and by the word of their testimony;
they did not love their lives so muchas to shrink from death.
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2 Cor 11:14-15

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Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.

It is not surprising, then,

if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness.

Their end will be what their actions deserve.

The third umpire’s call represents God’s evaluation of you: "You are as He calls you." The third umpire knows his authority and understands that whatever he says, stands. Whatever God says, goes. His evaluation of you is the final say; it's authoritative (because of His nature, His position and His authority), and it’s what STANDS, even if what you are appears to be different. The moment you believed in Jesus, God calls you, "Righteous!" "Precious." "Dear to Me."
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The opposing team's manager can run out of the dugout and rant and rave at the umpire for his unfair call, but it doesn’t matter; what the umpire says, STANDS. The crowds can boo and hiss, but it doesn’t matter; what the umpire says, STANDS: "They are as I calls 'em." And you are as God calls you! And God calls you, "My dear son, in whom I delight!" or "My dear daughter, in whom I delight."

The enemy, the accuser of your soul who sees your sin so clearly, may say it’s not fair for you to be called "precious" or “righteous." You yourself may think it’s not fair that you have become so dear to God, because you too can see your sin, your inconsistancies so clearly, but it doesn’t matter; what God says about you STANDS! He has the final say about you. Other’s may call you unworthy, pathetic and hopeless, but it doesn’t matter. You may think of yourself like this, but it doesn't matter. What God says about you, STANDS. He is your ultimate "Definer."

God is not blind to your sins, but He does not see you as sin personified. He doesn’t deal with you according to your sins, nor does He define you according to your sins. And though He "calls us out" on our sins, He also calls you His precious one. You are His delight. He sees you as His righteous son or daughter, because He’s imparted that righteousness to you based on Jesus’ death and resurrection. This call IS SETTLED FOR ETERNITY, because, “You are as He calls you!” He showed you His love through Jesus' awesome sacrifice on the cross. He opened your eyes to see. You believed in Him. He's accepted you, calls you His own, calls you righteous... yes, He likes you!
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1 Corinthians 1:30, 31

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Yet, from this same God

you have received your standing in Jesus Christ,

and he has become for us the true wisdom,

a matter, in practice, of being made righteous and holy,

in fact, of being redeemed.

And this makes us see the truth of the Scripture:

‘He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.’

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An excerpt from Watchman Nee's Devotional Book: A Table in the Wilderness (day: July 9)

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The accuser of our brethren is cast down,

which accuseth them before our God day and night.

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- Revelation 12:10

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Satan is a murderer and a deceiver, he entices and he attacks; but today he specializes in accusing. Heaven recognizes this, and so must every Christian. Night and day he accuses us, and his charges, which are not unfounded, are directed at our conscience --the very point where we most lack the strength to fight him. His object is to drive us to think in despair, "I am a hopeless failure! God can do nothing with me!" Conscience is a precious thing, but to repeat endlessly "I am no good! I am no good!" is not Chritian humility. To confess our sins is wholesome, but let us never carry confession to the point where our sinfulness looms for us larger than the work of Christ. The Devil knows no weapon more effective against you and me than the creation of this illusion. What is the remedy? Plead guilty to God. Confess to him "Lord, I am no good!" but then remind yourself of the precious Blood, and looking away to his glory, add: "But Lord, I am abiding in thee!"

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I close with this spontaneous poem I just wrote:

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MAN: THE CROWN OF HIS CREATION

Created for His pleasure

The Father delights in you;

You are His greatest treasure

Your heart knows this is true.

So do not fight the joy
That this thought can bring;
And when it works into your soul
It’ll make you dance and sing!

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If you're not dancing and singing about this, or at least believing this truth with great joy, it probably hasn't worked into your soul yet -- but it's still true. Just look to God and ask Him, "In spite of all my inconsistancies, failures, am I still a delight to You?" And then be still and let Him personally show you the answer. When you hear it from Him personally, you'll never be the same - for His delight in you is not contingent upon how you're doing or what you're doing - but it's totally dependent on what HE has done....created you in His image and redeemed you, made you acceptable to Him through the finished work of Jesus.