One day, the Lord revealed to the Prophet Isaiah everything causes Him to delight in His servant, His “chosen one.” It is recorded in Isaiah 42:

Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight. I will put my Spirit on him and he will bring justice to the nations.

He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.

In faithfulness he will bring forth justice; he will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth. In his law the islands will put their hope.

This is what God the Lord says — he who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and all that comes out of it, who gives breath to its people, and life to those who walk on it.

I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.

I am the Lord; that is my name! I will not give my glory to another or my praise to idols. See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare; before they spring into being, I announce them to you.

Isaiah 42:1-9

We know now the new things God was declaring: the world of men witnessing the incarnation of His very own son. And the qualities he spoke of, that delighted him, are describing his Son Jesus.

When I read Scripture, I always seek to find where I belong in them, what they mean for me personally, and what they tell me about the God to whom I belong. This passage is rich with implication for all of these things. Let us consider first, where we, you and I, should find ourselves in His words.

“My chosen one.”

Fast forward, past the days of Christ, to when Paul the Apostle wrote to the Ephesian Christians,

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.

Ephesians 1:3-5

Here is what I see in these words: God’s original chosen one was His Son; AND he “chose us” in His Son before he even established the world!

In other words, we become the Chosen when we join ourselves to Christ, the Chosen. Jesus confirmed this when He said, In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. (John 14:20).

We are the sons and daughters of God through Christ, and together with Him, we are the chosen. Therefore, the list given to Isaiah is now OUR list to live by!

Let us consider the things on this list that delight our Father.

For clarity it is useful to  paraphrase and isolate the key things the Lord told in Isaiah 42:1-7:

The qualities God delights to see in His chosen servant, also known as his children:

• My child brings justice.
• My child is a servant.
• My child is not loud or quarrelsome.
• My child is gentle and compassionate.
• My child is faithful.
• My child does not falter or get discouraged.
• My child is a light to men.
• My child heals blindness.
• My child sets captives free.

Do any of those give you pause?

Like say, for instance, healing the blind and setting the captives free? Can that really be for us? Some would ask, isn’t some of this truly just spoken of Jesus Christ alone?

I do not believe so, and here is why: Jesus said to his disciples, astoundingly, “You will do greater things than what I have done while with you.” If not for these words, we would not dare to appropriate these words for ourselves. But He did say it! And we should own them.

These words began as a prophecy and became a promise. I believe that for those who would live a life that delights the Father, it is a mandate. Through Christ, we are the recipients of all. We acknowledge the mystery of things we do not yet see, but let us not ignore them or explain them away — let us aspire to be and do them.

The best goal, ever.

Everything that “religion” requires is most beautifully accomplished through the goal of seeking to delight the Father. Like Jesus, we can do nothing on our own; and also like Jesus, we can do all things through the indwelling Spirit.

I offer this list as a cheat sheet to remind us of the good and wonderful way of life that is Christianity, the amazing potential for the sons and daughters of God. I encourage you to print it out, post it on your refrigerator or bathroom mirror, or on your computer monitor. Remember every day who you are now that God is your Father, and how you may bring delight to His heart.

Excerpted from Tonia’s book, “They Will All Know Me.”