“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. Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when He appears we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him as He is” (1 John 3.1-2). What kind of love is this the Father has given to us? This is the purest form of love. It is love not tainted by selfishness or want, not distracted by the things of the world or of the flesh; it is not fickle, dependent upon a daily mood; it does not grow weary, is not impatient, is not temporary; it is not motivated by lust or pleasure; it is not deserved. The love of God is given to us, the most unworthy and unlovable; it is given to us who did not want His love and did not seek it; it is given to us who were consumed with ourselves, our activities, our fleshly desires, and with our selfish motivations; it is given to us who are sinful, lost in sin, dead in sin, bound in sin; it is given to us who are rightfully destined for eternal death and condemnation, and eternal judgment in the fires of hell.
This love of God takes us from the grave of sin and raises us to new life through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ; in His love we are forgiven of all sin, all unrighteousness, all guilt, all penalty, all judgment of sin; in His love we are snatched from the hands of Satan and are made the very children of the eternal Father, adopted by Him, and made joint-heirs with Jesus Christ; in His love we are given assurance of His presence ever with us now and of our being with Him for all eternity; we are given hope that when Jesus Christ returns we will be made like Him, perfect in every way and free from all the pains and marks of sin. The love of God draws us to Himself, will manifest His character in us, will cause us to delight in His Word, and will bring us to eternal unbridled praise and unceasing thankfulness.
Being loved by God – we have much to be thankful for –
Terry Burlingame
My Morning Desk 