>>>
Zephaniah 3:17 - God Enjoys You.

Zephaniah 3:17 (NIV) The LORD your God is 
with you, he is mighty to save. He will take 
great delight in you, he will quiet you with his 
love, he will rejoice over you with singing." 

INTRODUCTION

In one of the most encouraging verses in 
Scripture, Zephaniah describes how God rejoices over 
his people with singing. The image is of a 
beaming parent taking great pride and joy in their 
child. The Lord doesn't just love us because he has 
to, he loves us because he enjoys us. [NIV Once 
A Day Bible] 

COMMENTARY PEARL

   Jesus has been teaching me to pay 
attention to my self-talk. It's been a valuable lesson 
because it has revealed pet phrases that are far 
from the truth. One of the degrading thoughts is 
you're not enough. 
   I've caught myself thinking this phrase 
within the context of being a sister, wife, mother, 
and grandmother. It creates the fear of 
inadequacy and hinders transparency in my relationships 
with my loved ones. 
   I struggle with it within the context of 
podcasting and writing for publication. It causes me to 
compare my skills with others in the same field and 
makes me feel as though I fall short. 
   I wrestle with it when I don't maintain 
health-related goals or when I set new goals and don't 
reach them as fast as I want. Before long, I feel 
like throwing those goals to the wind because 
I'll never achieve them anyway. Why bother? 
You're not enough. 
   Self-talk matters. The words I speak 
about myself, either aloud or silently in my 
thoughts, carry power to bring hope or breed 
discouragement. Now, when I catch myself speaking a lie, I 
immediately reject it and replace it with truth. You're 
not enough becomes Jesus is with me. He loves 
me, saves me, delights in me, and rejoices over 
me with a song. Self-talk based on truth 
reminds me that Jesus thinks I'm special. That's 
enough for me. Grace Fox 
   Faith Step: Identify a self-talk pet 
phrase that's untrue. Now find a Bible verse that 
speaks truth into your life, write it on a note 
card, and memorize it. [Mornings With Jesus 2024 
Devotional by Guideposts and Zondervan] 

CLOSING THOUGHT

   It is often hard to comprehend that God 
enjoys us. but He does. He also wants us to enjoy 
Him. I once heard it said that our highest 
calling is to enjoy God. I am learning to make sure 
I enjoy God every day, all throughout the day, 
and I have taken a step of faith and decided to 
believe that He enjoys me. I wasted many years 
feeling most of the time that He was not pleased 
with me because of my imperfections, but I no 
longer believe that lie. 
   Just as we see the flaws of our children 
and yet we still enjoy them, God does the same 
thing with us. 
   Roses have thorns, but they are still 
beautiful and we enjoy them. 
   God sees all of my flaws and He still 
loves and enjoys me! [My Time with God by Joyce 
Meyer] 

LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY 

Zephaniah 3:17 - God Enjoys You.

https://www.abible.com/devotions/2021/20210813-0907.html 

Zephaniah 3:17 - The Intimacy of God.

http://www.abible.com/devotions/2016/20160617-1523.html 

Zephaniah 3:17 - Oh Say Can You See.

http://www.abible.com/devotions/2005/20050907-0836.html 

LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT

https://abible.com/links/