Ephesians 1:6 To the praise of the glory of His grace, with which He graced us in the Beloved [Jesus Christ]; 1 Thessalonians 1:4 Knowing, brothers, beloved of God, your selection;
We have seen that for God to grace us is to make us an object in whom He delights. This is altogether a pleasure to God. In Christ we have been blessed by God with every blessing.
In the Beloved we were graced, made the object of God's favor and pleasure. As such an object we enjoy God, and God enjoys us in His grace in His Beloved, who is His delight. In His Beloved we also become His delight.
The phrase "in the Beloved" conveys the full delight, satisfaction, and enjoyment God the Father has in us because we have been made the object of His grace and delight. In this sense we should all appreciate ourselves and ever esteem ourselves highly because we are the object of God's delight. You should say, "Because God delights in me, I appreciate myself.
I even esteem myself highly because I have been positioned in grace and made the object of God's grace." We should have such a view about ourselves. God delights in us, not in ourselves, but in His Beloved.