1 JOHN 3
See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. 3 And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.4 Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. 5 You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. 6 No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. 7 Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. 8 Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. 9 No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God. 10 By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother. – 1 John 3:1-10
1 JOHN 3 THE LOVE THE FATHER GIVES
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
When God the Father selected you to be one of his children
He gave you his own Son so you can be righteous through him
You are so blessed and privileged to be included in his family
Anyone he chooses becomes adopted and receive all his legacy
You are an heir to his kingdom just like your brother Jesus
A mansion is prepared to you when the end of time comes
You will experience the greatest kind of love you’ll ever find
You will be loved and treasured more than you can ever imagine.
Have you ever been loved unconditionally in your life for as long as you have been living? You may or may not have been truly loved by anyone in this world. If you have met your most loving person, it may not be a forever kind of love. There are ups and downs and sometimes we would have doubts here and there as to the authenticity of their love. The reason for this unstable kind of love is because we live in a corrupt world. Many humans, not excluding some believers, have no clue about the kind of love that our heavenly Father gives us. Some reasons behind that inability to grasp true love is because of some unloving ways we were brought up or some neglect from caregivers who probably did not know God himself.
John is the disciple whom Jesus loved. He surely was the one of Jesus’ disciples who was given the revelations about the identity, nature and the love that God gives us. In this account, he explicitly gives us a picture of how God the Father loves his children. God separates his children from the world and he purifies them so they can be ready for their upcoming inheritance when Jesus comes back again.
REFLECTION
· Do you know how much God loves you? How do you know this and how do you respond to it?
