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READ: GENESIS 1:26-31; PSALM 35:27; PROVERBS 3:11-12; ISAIAH 62:4\n\n\n\nIf you grew up in church, you\u2019ve probably heard over and over that God loves you. And He does! But did you know that He also likes you?\n\n\n\nThis is a truth I\u2019ve struggled to accept. It\u2019s easy for me to believe that God loves me, because that\u2019s His job! It\u2019s just who He is. But I can fall into the false belief that it\u2019s only a duty-bound love. That He loves me only because He has to, not because He truly enjoys who I actually am.\n\n\n\nMake no mistake, God does love us because of who He is. His character is unchanging, and so is His love for us. Nothing can shake that. But I think it\u2019s important to also remember that God likes us. He enjoys our presence with Him. He delights in us\u2014and even rejoices over us with singing (Zephaniah 3:17). He created us and gifted us with our unique personalities and abilities\u2014and He likes what He made!\n\n\n\nIt may seem trivial or self-centered to wonder if God likes us, but it really does matter. It affects the way we interact with Him. We may believe that, because we are fallen and sinful, we are unlikeable. And when we believe that we are unlikeable, all we can focus on is our own smallness and unworthiness before the Lord, instead of focusing on His goodness and majesty and love. But as the Holy Spirit helps us grow more secure in our belief that God legitimately enjoys our presence and wants to spend time with us, it frees us from that insecure self-focus on our own unworthiness and allows us to truly enjoy God\u2019s presence like He enjoys ours.\n\n\n\nJesus died and rose again to make the way to be with us forever. Let\u2019s take a moment and think about that. He died because He wanted to be with you. He most definitely likes you. \u2022 Taylor Eising\n\n\n\n\u2022 Do you find it easier to believe that God loves you or that God likes you? Why? How does this affect the way you view God and the way you approach Him in prayer?\n\n\n\nThe LORD your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing. Zephaniah 3:17 (NIV)