Love Lavished On Us

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! (1 John 3:1)

How encouraging! Let us stop for a moment and take that in! I so desire to understand fully and with all that I am, what it means to be a child of God, filled with His spirit. But then in the same verse, I encounter this hard truth: that knowing God means a splitting must take place, an abysmal separation from the world that doesn’t sound very, um… pleasant.

It’s impossible for the world to know the Father but to be honest it’s the same with us. How can we understand Him if not by the power and grace of His Spirit? Isn’t it awesome then that 1 John 3 shows us how we can know for sure that our Father is at work in us.

One way we can know is by acknowledging and accepting that sin has no relationship with God, and therefore not with us either. It also tells us to love our brothers and sisters in action and in truth.

I think about my deep underlying feelings, which can be so subtle. What are my anxieties telling me, my concerns? Most times if not all, they are indicators of a rooted desire that needs to separate from me. Or a reliance on something other than God. 

Think on it, what are you afraid you’ll lose? What is the real priority? What’s really bothering you about that person? Having an intention with no follow-through? Something can easily become a habit when it shouldn’t. Sin has a way of making things very fuzzy.

But I love this part: when I feel overwhelmed, or find myself in a pain puddle, this is how I can know the truth, and, like verse 19, “Set my heart at rest in his presence”. I simply remember who I am. 

I maintain a posture of humility. Verse 20 says that if my heart condemns me, my Father sees me, which means I can run to Him like the lost sheep that I am, happy to be in His embrace. 

Separation is not easy. We don’t always like it, but it is about yielding to what truly is God’s greatest plan. Because my deepest fulfillment and purpose is in Him, I don’t have be afraid of letting go. In fact, I can be assured that because God knows my heart, I can trust Him with the deep desires that’s untainted by what my sinful desires say I need. And little by little, I will be in such alignment with my Father that His and my desire will be one! 

So position yourself to receive that which comes from accepting and embracing the Spirit God gave us,

And in all things, know that a beautiful transformation is taking place in us, in preparation to see our King and Savior who in His love has not only separated from but overcame the world.