A life That Has The Approval Of The Father.

There were a number of occasions when the Father declared His approval of Jesus Christ, one of which was at the Mount of Transfiguration.

Now, after six days, Jesus took Peter, James, and John, his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves; and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him.

Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”While Peter was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear, Him!” Matthew 17:1-5.

These words from the Father were not spoken lightly. The Father was declaring before men that Jesus Christ was the perfect expression of His heart, His will, and His nature. Every word that Jesus spoke, every action He performed, every step He took, and every motive within His heart was pleasing in the sight of the Father.

When Jesus Christ worked the plan of redemption in this world, He always had the Father’s heart in His life. He never lived for Himself. This was clearly revealed after Jesus’ encounter with the woman at the well.

His disciples urged Him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.”But Jesus said to them, “I have food to eat of which you do not know.”Therefore, the disciples said to one another, “Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?”Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work. John 4:31-34.

This is of utmost importance; Jesus Christ was sold out to do the will of His Father. And as He did so, He was ever before the eyes of His Father as being well pleasing to Him. His satisfaction was not found in earthly comfort, personal ambition, reputation, or human applause. His entire life was consumed with doing the will of the Father.

Jesus said unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father hath taught Me, I speak these things.  And He that sent Me is with Me: the Father hath not left Me alone; for I do always those things that please Him. John 8:28-29.

When Jesus Christ spoke these words, He revealed the complete unity that existed between Himself and the Father: Every word He spoke, every action He carried out, and every miracle He performed flowed out of perfect obedience and complete harmony with the Father. His life was the visible expression of the Father’s heart.

The healing ministry of Jesus was the perfect demonstration of the Father’s goodness toward suffering humanity.  He revealed that the Father is merciful, compassionate, and willing to restore. When Jesus touched the leper, strengthened the crippled, or gave sight to the blind, He was revealing the heart of the Father Himself.

Jesus Christ must have the preeminence in our lives; we must make Him the first and foremost, and He must be the ultimate standard in the life of every believer.  This is of tremendous importance; this truth must become firmly established in our lives. Each and every believer who has called on the name of Jesus Christ for salvation must gain a living knowledge of what the Father desires for their life.

This should deeply challenge every believer. Christianity, as it functions in today’s society, has often reduced salvation to merely escaping judgment, while neglecting the solemn truth that believers are called to live lives that are well pleasing unto the Father.

Salvation is not simply about receiving forgiveness; it is about being brought into union with Jesus Christ so that the life of the Son may be formed within us. The great question that must continually confront our hearts is not merely, “Am I saved?” but rather, “Is my life pleasing to the Father?”

When we are saved. When we are born again of the Spirit of the Lord through the inception of the working of the Word of God.We are saved to serve and to administer the things of the Father; we become vessels for the use of the Father. 

So when Jesus had washed their feet, taken His garments, and sat down again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them  John 13:12-17.

We are to live out our lives being pleasing to the Father. To accomplish this calling, Jesus Christ has to be the perfect standard for every believer; this is why we are admonished to follow in His footsteps:  Jesus Christ has set the benchmark, He is to be our exclusive example of how we are to conduct ourselves in this world.

The Father has wrought the new birth in the inner man of our hearts, and it is through the working of the Holy Spirit, who works with the Word of the Father to bring every believer into a living relationship and union with Jesus Christ, so that the Father can then declare His acknowledgement over our lives through being in the approval of His heart.

This is of utmost importance in our lives; we must know that every word that we may speak and every action of our will must at all times have a right motive of our heart to be fully pleasing to the heart of the Father, that His will may be wrought.

As believers, we have to gain the full revelation that we do not have to strive to have the Father’s approval over our lives; all we have to do is to understand that we just need to be obedient to follow His way.

Herein is a valuable truth that we must firmly apply to our lives; we are to live for the glory of the Father and never for the sake of our own self-glory. Jesus clearly taught this in the Sermon on the Mount: You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. Matthew 5: 14-16.

As we walk in the pathway that the Father would have us to walk, with every step that we take and with every action of our hearts, we must continually look to finish the race that is set before us. We are to possess a yearning heart, a burning heart to be well pleasing in the sight of our Father. As we do so, there has to be the expectation of wanting to hear the Father say over our lives.

“ Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things. I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master.”Amen.