See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! This is how we know what love is…This is how we know that we belong to the truth…And this is how we know that he lives in us…
1 John 3:1, 16, 19, 24 (NIV)
Father God, my heart went to 1 John 3 this morning as words flowed into my heart, “Bread of Heaven fill this space; I just wanna be with You.” The opening words of this chapter penned by John speak to where my spirit is this morning: “Behold what manner of love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God !” My soul is taken away by those words. I know how unworthy I am. I know how I fall short. And yet You love me anyway! And this is not just a notion – a theory posited in my mind – but a fact! How do I know? I so love 1 John 3, especially from verse 16 on because it reinforces and reassures me, especially in times of doubt (and they do come). The three “this is how we knows” fill me with so much hope, joy, and confidence. And they show me how I can respond to You in gratitude for what You have done for me.
This is how I know what love is: Jesus died for me. Period. You sent Your Son, He humbly became flesh, and surrendered His life for me, paying a price I could not pay. Why would I not be willing to give Him all things? Frankly, apart from Him my life means nothing.
This is how I know that I belong to the truth: my heart calls me out when I am wrong. I confess sometimes I can’t stand my conscience! Sometimes I can be in a proverbial worldly groove and then all of a sudden bam! Something within me tells me I know you ought to not be doing that or thinking that. My heart condemns me, calls me out, points out my failings. That comes from You! I can’t just be like anyone else. I can’t just live my life for me. I am compelled from within to follow Jesus Christ’s footsteps.
This is how I know that He lives in me: Your Holy Spirit is all up inside of me. I know this because I can’t do like my flesh wants to do and I just want to shower my love on folks and tell them about how good You are. The other “this is how we knows” are so because He is in my heart! He moves me to love the unlovable, to pour my life out into the lives of others. He steers me into Your truth and convicts me when I am going astray. He shares with me Your will for my life and fills me with joy unspeakable. He has sealed me until that day when You send my Savior back for me.
Father, I praise You this morning because this is how I know that You love me and cherish me. I am not a second thought consolation prize. I am Your child. And the analogy so warms my heart: not by birth, which parents cannot control, but by adoption, where parents choose. You chose me. You adopted me. And You have given me so many signs of Your love for me. I am blessed. Thank You. Amen.