pastorjohnb

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Generous and Extravagant

Reading: 1st John 3: 1-3

Verse 2: “Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known”.

Photo credit: Kourosh Qaffari

I love the opening to chapter three: “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us”. Lavished! To lavish is defined this way: “to bestow something in generous and extravagant quantities”. That is really how God loves us. Generously. Extravagantly. This generous and extravagant love is revealed in God’s choice to create us to be his children, heirs of the kingdom. John is excited that God loves us this much.

In the same verse though, as if the thoughts were connected, John acknowledges that not all people know that they are loved that much. Not all people know God, therefore not all people are in the family. They do not recognize the family resemblance to God or to those who follow the Lord. John quickly turns back to celebration as he writes, “Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known”. The world may not know God, but we do! Hooray! Yippee!! Hallelujah! But wait… it gets better.

As good as being a child of God is today, it will get better. John writes mostly of the eternal side of this reality, but there is also a temporal side to what John rejoices in. In this life we grow to be more and more like the earthly Jesus, growing in our love of God and of one another. Yeah! We also have an eternal joy. One day we will be transformed as we step into eternal life. “We shall be like him”. In form we shall become like the eternal Christ. We will be pure just as Christ is pure. The things of this world will fall away and we will stand in his perfect love and light. What a joyous day that will be!

In the here and now, as we look in the mirror, as we look upon our brothers and sisters in Christ, may we rejoice in our place in the family of God. As both heirs and builders of the kingdom, may we also be most generous and extravagant in our love as we live in this world.

Prayer: Lord God, it is so good to be a part of your family. This day use me to draw others in, to help others know that they too are a beloved child. Amen.


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Lavished

Reading: 1 John 3: 1-3

Verse One: “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God”.

Identity is an important thing. At times we are very sure of who we are. We feel confident and we know our purpose in life. So often, for many people, this is wrapped up in earthly things like our job or our position on the team or in the money we have or in the possessions we own. When this is how we define ourselves, then the trials of life rock our world.

Today’s passage opens with a reminder of who we truly are. John writes, “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God”. This sums up the core of our true identity. It is because of God’s great love. This is where it starts. It is a rich and lavish love that God wants to pour down on every single person. Not all accept His love. But for those that do, we are called “children of God”. There is a huge difference between knowing that all people are God’s children and actually living as one. When we live as a child of God, we know our true identity.

When we identify as a child of God, life takes on an eternal perspective. Yes, this life will still have its trials and hurts and sufferings, but they are temporary. In addition, as a child we do not walk alone through these valleys either. Our Father walks with us and will even carry us at times. Our Father gives us strength to face any challenge because we do not face it alone and we can draw on His limitless strength. How great is the love indeed!

No matter what life has brought us or will bring us, we can trust in the love that God has for each of us, His dearly loved children. Thanks be to God for His great love!