1 John 3:1

If you have known someone your whole life -- maybe a close friend, a relative, or a sibling -- what might you notice about their children? You might say something like, "wow, you are just like your dad (or mom)!" There certainly is a physical resemblance, but the children might reflect the character of their parents as well. As a parent myself, there's a special kind of love that I have for my children in seeing parts of myself reflected in them. What an amazing feeling it is to hear that we, too, hold this special position in the eyes of our Heavenly Father. God loves us as His own children, and as His children we begin to reflect more and more of His righteousness in our lives. We still live in a conflicting time where sin and death are present and compete for a stronghold in our lives, but the good news is that as children of God, our identity is secure in Him. Know that you are loved in a very special way, and let that motivate you to reflect His love to others!

PASSAGE: 1 John 3:1 - "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."

PAUSE: The Gospel that the Apostle John heard, was lived out decades after he heard it. He was there and penned the famous words “For God so loved” and after persecutions and sufferings, he reminded the church that our Heavenly Father has loved each of us with a special kind of love, we are his children.  

PRAYER: Heavenly Father when I get discouraged or lonely, help me to be reminded that I have been loved with a special kind of love, I am a child of God!