Sticky Note:  God identifies with you...He is pleased with you

God identifies with us...
    -in spite of our pasts
    -right after we've sinned
    -while we are being tempted

In his humanity, Jesus identified with us in every way, except for committing sin.  And when he went to the Cross, our sin was identified with him and his righteousness was identified with us.  The Father disassociated Himself from Jesus at the Cross, so that believers will never be disassociated from God.

As that good news sinks in, a miracle of grace happens, and we being to be able to associate with other people whom we would normally disassociate from...people with "pasts", people who have just sinned, people who are being tempted.