12/17

1 John 3:1-3

¹How 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. ²Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. ³Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.

You can't see the greatness of this love unless you see how depraved man is in contrast. How holy and good God is! It is only in seeing the contrast that the enormity of love is realized. Have you seen parents that patiently endure the destructive time of experimentation that their teenager goes through? They take care of the child's every need, love and nurture him or her through the years and are paid back by rebellion. Now multiply that love to an infinite degree, and multiply the rebellion to the end of your imagination, and you might come somewhere close to understanding the great love the Father has lavished on us.

He loves us so much that He will see us through until we are transformed into His likeness. The work is in process today, but it will culminate when your eyes behold Him. Then you won't have to use your imagination any longer. You will see Him as He is. The very sight of Him will transform you. The caterpillar will emerge from his cocoon and spread his wings and fly.

What do we do with this amazing hope? We purify ourselves even as He is pure. We set aside the desires for worldly and things, and focus on cooperating with this transformation. Though we know we will not break free from the cocoon until our eyes behold Him, we allow His daily transforming work to continue.

Meditation: Think about the love the Father has lavished on you, that you should be called a child of God!