Daily Bread 2011 - 1 John 3
1 John 3
1 See what great 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 Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. 3 All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.
What Does This Mean?
At the heart of receiving God’s love is becoming His child. Born not of natural means, but born of the Spirit. John says, “And that is what we are!” Although other Christians will have a kindred Spirit with you, just as there is a natural kindred spirit between a brother and sister; those without the Spirit will not understand or detect it.
Just like a child grows up to be like his or her parents, because they have their DNA in them, so a child of God grows up to be like His Father in heaven and like His Son, Jesus. Why? Because God’s Spirit lives in us and transforming us into his likeness as we allow Him to in the power of the Spirit. And this process will be complete when Jesus calls us home to become a permanent part of God’s family. As we meet Jesus face to face, the transformation process will be over because we will be in presence and we will see him as he is, and be a perfect reflection of his handiwork. This is our hope as Christians, and as we strive after it in His power it purifies us.
What Does This Mean For Us?
It means that how we live for God has everything to do with how we see ourselves in God. As we realize our identity is shaped by our new calling in our new family, we begin to change. Our identity shapes our obedience. Most people obey in order to receive an identity. In a gang you have to do all sorts of crazy things to become part of the family. They are called this an “initiation”.
But God initiates us into His family through His Son Jesus. Jesus came to create and redeem the children of God by making peace on the cross. Jesus makes it possible for us to be initiated into God’s holy family. Baptism is the sign of that initiation as the sign of our being born again of the water and the Spirit. The church is the place where the family gathers to remind themselves of who they are in Christ and to have fellowship that is a foretaste of the fellowship we will enjoy in heaven with all the saints. We can see Jesus in each other as God is shaping and molding us to love one another and lay down our lives for each other as Jesus did for us!
Father, thank you for your great love that we should be called Your children. Thank you for sending Jesus to initiate us into your family by your grace and mercy and through faith and being baptized. Set us apart for you oh Lord. Amen.
1 See what great 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 Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. 3 All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.
What Does This Mean?
At the heart of receiving God’s love is becoming His child. Born not of natural means, but born of the Spirit. John says, “And that is what we are!” Although other Christians will have a kindred Spirit with you, just as there is a natural kindred spirit between a brother and sister; those without the Spirit will not understand or detect it.
Just like a child grows up to be like his or her parents, because they have their DNA in them, so a child of God grows up to be like His Father in heaven and like His Son, Jesus. Why? Because God’s Spirit lives in us and transforming us into his likeness as we allow Him to in the power of the Spirit. And this process will be complete when Jesus calls us home to become a permanent part of God’s family. As we meet Jesus face to face, the transformation process will be over because we will be in presence and we will see him as he is, and be a perfect reflection of his handiwork. This is our hope as Christians, and as we strive after it in His power it purifies us.
What Does This Mean For Us?
It means that how we live for God has everything to do with how we see ourselves in God. As we realize our identity is shaped by our new calling in our new family, we begin to change. Our identity shapes our obedience. Most people obey in order to receive an identity. In a gang you have to do all sorts of crazy things to become part of the family. They are called this an “initiation”.
But God initiates us into His family through His Son Jesus. Jesus came to create and redeem the children of God by making peace on the cross. Jesus makes it possible for us to be initiated into God’s holy family. Baptism is the sign of that initiation as the sign of our being born again of the water and the Spirit. The church is the place where the family gathers to remind themselves of who they are in Christ and to have fellowship that is a foretaste of the fellowship we will enjoy in heaven with all the saints. We can see Jesus in each other as God is shaping and molding us to love one another and lay down our lives for each other as Jesus did for us!
Father, thank you for your great love that we should be called Your children. Thank you for sending Jesus to initiate us into your family by your grace and mercy and through faith and being baptized. Set us apart for you oh Lord. Amen.
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