His Great Love

1 John 3:1-3 How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. 3 Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.
 
THE first half of verse 1 is one of Scripture’s most quoted confessions, isn’t it? In the same manner as John 3:16 the apostle expresses God’s wondrous love. His love is great. God’s love is continuous, outpouring onto his children without ceasing. His love is a flood of joy and protection, an endless wellspring of refreshing comfort and peace.
    Think about it. The Father has lavished on us. The Lord God Almighty has, in effect, smothered us with his love. He is the mother welcoming her newborn child into her bosom. He is the father celebrating his children’s victories on the athletic field. He is a pastor rejoicing in his church’s salvation. To call the Holy God “Father” is an extraordinary intimacy he desires we know.
    John affirms this even more with the second half of the verse. Know in Jesus you are God’s child! This is your existence, you life. You are not a mere man or woman, nor simply a citizen of a particular country. You are God’s child. When someone asks, “Who are you? What do you do?” you can answer, “I am a child of the Living God. My purpose each day is to enjoy my Fathers’ love.”
     Certainly such an answer will cause some, maybe even those in your church, to think you aren’t truly focused on your “real” life’s activities. They may think you are too “religious” to grasp the reality of day-to-day living. No one talks that way, right?
    But isn’t this an appropriate response, a sure response to your Father’s lavish love? Remember, we are not to speak and act as the world desires and approves. Our language and duties must be centered on God’s lavish love. You are to keep your mind on your Father in heaven, so you will know his good love for your physical and eternal life.
    Steady your mind on the truth that one day you shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Be of faith to know that your hope in him will purify, cleanse your heart, mind and soul to gain Jesus’ perfection in your Father’s presence.
 
Life Thought: Rejoice, believe, worship God because you can confess, “I am a child of God. The Father has lavished his love on me.”