“Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.” I John 3:1-3
We did nothing to deserve it, nor did we do anything to earn it. Our finite minds cannot fully grasp the everlasting love of God, that has been given to us. It is only explained by His grace.
Jesus bore our sins on Calvary’s cross, and when He arose from the grave, in essence, He raised us from the grave of sin, giving us acceptance and victory. When we accept Him as our Saviour and Lord, are baptized in His Name, and receive His Holy Spirit into our lives, we are part of His kingdom, and will one day rule and reign with Him.
“Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.” Ephesians 2:5-7
Because of the hope that we have in the Lord, we desire to live pure and holy lives. As John tells us in our opening scripture, “We purify ourselves because God is pure.” When we fully grasp the Lord’s love for us, we desire to live to please Him. Nothing we can do will make us worthy of His love, and our failures and our successes do not change His love for us. It is an everlasting love. He knows our weaknesses, and His ear is ever open to our cry.
This means taking time every day to read God’s word and spend time with Him in prayer. We ask Him to search our hearts and show us anything that is not pleasing to Him. As we do this, we grow to be more like Him, and His love becomes more precious to us.
“I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.” Isaiah 61:10
Prayer: Jesus, thank you for your everlasting love, bestowed so freely on us, though we are unworthy. Search our hearts, cleanse us from things that are not pleasing to you, and draw us closer to you.
Devotion by Anne Johnston
