This Sunday's Scripture on God's Love is
1 John 3:1
John has often been referred to as the "Beloved Disciple" and last month we featured a verse about God's Love from the Gospel written by John - John 3:16 you can read it HERE
Now this month we are starting with a verse from John's first Epistle another verse about God's Love.
This verse 1 John 3:1 tells us about the type of Love God has for us.
God is referred to here as the Father which immediately makes me think of a fatherly love which would obviously be a love that cares about our well-being and protection.
It also makes me think of a love that looks to the future and not just the present time because we expect our fathers to own the responsibility of always loving us and wanting our futures to be good.
God the Father has given us the greatest love because he has accepted us into His family as sons and daughters so we will experience His unconditional love that only He can give.
Parents are human and not perfect yet can love unconditionally.
God is divine and perfect yet He has chosen to make us His children
and love us unconditionally and perfectly.
It reminds me of the the title of a hymn by Charles Wesley
"Love divine, all loves excelling"
God's Love excels all other love.
His love is far greater than any other love.
Of course I always like to make sure to take each verse in context as it was written so let's look briefly at 1 John 3:1-3
1 Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. 2 Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. 3 And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.
If we have received His Salvation then we are His children and the world will treat us as it has treated Him but we have the assurance that He will pass on His characteristics to us and yes we have great hope for the future.