Week 6:
I John 3:1 How great is the 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.
It is so awesome that we would be considered children of God. No matter what we have done, he is still our father. Think of our earthly parents. In most cases, no matter what we have done, they have never ceased their love for us or have never quit being our parent. I know there are exceptions in the cases of abuse, neglect, and abandonment. Those cases make this passage even more powerful for those who have experienced that type of life. God is the parent of the down-trodden.
So, what does it mean to be someone’s child? It means that there is a commitment on the part of the parent. The parent has taken responsibility for the proper raising of the child. The parent is to care for and nourish the child. The parent is to teach the child and lead the child. The parent is to discipline the child in order to keep him/her on the right path. That is what God is doing with us. He is raising us. Who better to raise us than the one who formed us?
Many in this world believe there is a God but he is far off or distant. They believe that he created us and then backed away. I don’t buy that. If this passage is true, and we are his children, he does not ignore us. He may back away at times in order for us to grow and be transformed, but he has not abandoned us. In times where I think that God is not there, I realize that maybe I have walked away from Him. The reason I do not hear the father’s voice is because I’m not listening for His voice.
This leads me to the world. They do not know us because they do not know him. They do not understand our walk with God. God makes himself known in so many ways. Think about it. How many people do you know that profess to be Christians? In our current society, even as misguided as it is, people hear about God and encounter Christians on a regular basis. Yet, even with all this exposure, the “general public” truly does not know God. Therefore, you being a child of God is a concept they do not understand. They do not truly know you because they do not know Him.
I take great comfort in knowing I have a Father in heaven that cares for me and my well being. And, despite my life, He still loves me and accepts me. “How great is the 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.”
Questions/challenges:
1. Have you felt fatherless at times when it has come to your relationship with God?
2. In what ways?
3. Could it be that you have pulled away? In what way(s)?
4. Have you ever had a conversation with non-Christians who just did not understand your walk with God? Where did they get “stuck”?
5. Spend time this week meditating on this passage and see what God is speaking to you through it.
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