1 John 3:1-3: “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. 2 Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. 3 And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.”
Being adopted sons and daughters of God is an extreme concept. For me a sinner and someone who once mocked God’s love, it is a humbling thought that God not only loved me enough to help me escape eternal punishment, but He also welcomed me into His family and brought me into His home. That is the breadth and depth of His affection toward me, that while at one time I blasphemed Him, He still can call me His son. That is the kind of love that we humans do not exhibit, except by God’s power. Being adopted into the family of God means that I am no longer a stranger and a loner. I have a family that is going through the same struggles and pains that I am experiencing. Moreover, I am part of a worldwide fellowship that contains broken people, such as myself. I will never meet these broken people here on earth; however, we share a special bond, and that is the fact that we share the same Daddy.
John also went on to say that since we are now God’s children, because we have accepted God’s awesome gift of Jesus’ sacrifice, the world we live in will come against us. We live in a world of extravagance and excess. The world has been rebelling against God and His natural order of things. We do not fit in here on this earth. We are called to live lives that do not conform to the political correctness, and influence that the world says we should have. We as Christ-followers hold to our convictions and state boldly that we do not change our beliefs because the culture we live in has compromised itself and become lovers of immorality. We are God’s children and we need to act like it. There are some who have called themselves “Christian” or “Christ-follower” who act just like everyone else. That is a shame because we are called to a higher standard. John said, “we shall be like Him,” that is Jesus. That is our hope, and that hope is the purifying agent in our Christian walk.
Every Christ-follower is someone special. We are now Children of God. We have a Heavenly Daddy that we can rely on and place our trust in. That relationship is an awesome thought, especially when we are experiencing the storms of life and not knowing where to turn. It reminds me of that scene in the movie It’s a wonderful life when young George Bailey needs advice and he reads the sign on the wall that says “Ask dad, he knows”. That is so true! Your father does know and He is always there to comfort and guide you.
Tomorrows Readings:
Old Testament: Daniel 4-5 New Testament I John 4
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