Monday 16 January 2023
- Bible Book:
- 1 John
'See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God.' (v. 1)
Background
Yesterday I talked about the title 'lamb of God' which John the Baptist gave to Jesus. Today we have the title 'children of God' which is given to us. It signifies we have a parent in the living God and creator of all. It also shows us that we have a lot of brothers and sisters in this new family that we are part of.
The first part of the Bible study for today reminds us that our heavenly parent lavishes great love upon us. This is something for us each to take hold of and treasure. Our earthly parents don’t always get it right. Sometimes they weren’t even there for us at all. As children of God we have an assurance of a parent who will care for us and protect us. Jesus, as noted in Luke 13:34, is like a mother hen who gathers us under her wings.
In verse 2 we are told that it is when Jesus appears that we will fully discover who we are. It is in God’s presence that we will fully know what it means to be a child of God. In the meantime though we are encouraged to put away sin and all that draws us away from God and distracts us from walking with him. Not an easy task!
But as a good parent God will continue to love us, nurture us and discipline us as we grow and mature. As children we will explore, experiment, mess-up, learn and grow, in the knowledge that above all we are loved and accepted by the creator of all things.
To Ponder:
- What was your first childhood memory?
- What was your first memory of God being part of your life?
- How do you feel about the idea of being a child of God?