Devotion:
For an audio version of this devotion, click here.
Read 1 John 3:1-3.
The NIV says in Verse 1, “See what great love the Father has lavished on us...” To lavish something is to pour it on with great generosity, even with extravagance. We might sit down to a meager meal that barely sustains us, but if someone lavishes food on us, we are guests at a great banquet. Picture tables loaded with all kinds of food and delicacies, with more than enough for all of us. This is the image John is painting with God’s extravagant love for us. Because of the great sacrifice of Jesus Christ, we are now God’s children, loved with great generosity and extravagance.
Let’s not miss the point that the world does not know us, because the world does not know God. There is reassurance in that, but there is also a challenge in it. We are not to conform to the standards of the world in order to be accepted and “known” by it. Rather, we are to purify ourselves for the time when we get to see Christ face-to-face. This awesome hope is made possible, not by anything we have done or will do, but rather by God’s gift to us of Jesus Christ.
Personal Worship Option:
Give thanks today for the gift of Jesus Christ, who draws us near to God the Father. As followers of Christ, we are Easter people. Let the joy of Easter remain in you and rejoice in the hope that brings us.
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