What does God see when he sees you?

"God saw all that he had made, and it was very good."  Genesis 1:31a, NIV

In the beginning, God made everything.  He still makes everything, as it is written, "You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being."  Rev. 4:11 NIV.  God made you.  As David said to God by the Spirit, "...you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb." 

God made you, but are you what God made you to be?  When he sees you, what does he see?

In the beginning, God made all, and then he looked at all that he had made.  Because it was just as he intended it to be, what God saw was very good.  Look at the verse at the top again. God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.  What was very good?  All that He had made.  Only what originates from God is very good.  This applies to you and me.  When God looks at our lives, only what came from Him in our lives is very good, nothing else. 

God creates.  God critiques what he makes.
God created you.  God critiques you.

We live in a society that hates the idea of being judged.  Yet ironically we are a very judgmental society.  If you watch TV you will see many reality shows that do just that.  Some famous celebrity, actor, or singer sits as judge over contestants who desperately want to be deemed worthy by a celebrity.  But no one dares submit to God's judgment.  We give glory to celebrities and not to our Creator.  Is this true of you?

Do you submit to celebrity judgment?  Do you assume the authority to be your own judge?
If a celebrity looked at you and said "You are very good," would you cry because of his or her approval?  Or do you look at yourself and say about yourself, "I am very good.  I deserve it.  I'm worth it!"

If you submit to human judgment instead of our Creator's judgment, or to your own self-critique instead of our Creator's critique of you, then you are prideful and you need to repent.  You did not make yourself, therefore you have no authority to critique yourself.  I did not make you, and no other human being made you.  God alone made you, and He alone ultimately critiques you.

Now don't misunderstand.  If you accept our Creator as your Master, as the One who owns you, defines you, and determines your actions, then you can say of yourself exactly what the Creator says of you.  You can accept compliments from anyone, including yourself, if those compliments are echoes of the Creator's compliments of you.  In other words, as it is written, our destiny is "to be conformed to the likeness of God's Son". 

Therefore, if you are like Jesus, having placed your faith in Jesus, then when God looks at you, He sees you as very good.  But if you are not like Jesus, if you are not a reflection of what God Himself is like, then you are not very good, nor should you feel good about yourself. Why should you?  You were made by God and for God; He made you to be like Him.  When people see you, they should see what God Himself is like in that situation.  Is that what people see?  Is that what God sees?

Stop right now and acknowledge the truth about yourself, about what God sees when he sees you. 

If you are living to honor and obey God, living to be like him and act exactly as he does, then thank God for the privilege of the knowledge and likeness of God.

But if you are living for human approval, and for your own approval, admit this in the prayer below:

"God, you made me, but I am not living for you.  I am not like you.  I focus on what people think about me, and I focus on my own self-esteem instead of your honor and approval alone.  I exalt myself and focus on myself instead of you.  I focus others on me and my opinions instead of on your Son.  I'm sorry for this.  Please forgive me.  From now on, I live only to serve and please you."

From now on, when God sees you, may what he sees be very good.