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.
1 John 3:1
We can become so familiar with God’s love that we stop being surprised by it. We use the phrase, “God loves you,” in our prayers, sing His love on Sundays, and when Monday arrives, we live as though His love depends on how well we behave.
John’s opening words invite us to stop and look. We are meant to linger over the kind of love the Father has given us. This love does more than offer sympathy from a distance. It brings us into His family.
Too often, we measure love by how useful, agreeable, affirming, or impressive others are, or how useful, agreeable, affirming, or impressive we can be. When we carry that measuring stick into prayer, we approach God with a report of our accomplishments or an explanation for our failures.
The Father’s love is a gift. We did not need to persuade Him to be generous, and we could never earn our adoption. We have value because He created us in His image; we become His children because He receives us through Christ. Grace does not diminish our worth. It reveals the Father’s astonishing generosity.
Perhaps, before we try to accomplish anything for Him, we should pause. Before approaching the unfinished work or the difficult conversation, we need to stop and embrace the lavishness of His unending, steadfast love and faithfulness, remembering that we belong to a Father whose love is deeper than we can explain.
There is a difference between knowing God loves us and letting that truth settle into our lives. We may repeat “God loves you” easily for someone else, then hesitate to believe it in our own circumstances. Through Christ, the Father has called us His children.
Wonder is not a feeling we manufacture, but a truth we return to. The Father invites us to live as those already welcomed.
Father, we confess that we have treated Your love as something we must earn. Thank You for welcoming us through Christ. Help us receive Your affection with humble wonder. We place our need to prove ourselves in Your hands.
Still Amazed by Grace,
eep
