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"See what great love the Father has given us that we should be called God's children—and we are!"
(1 John 3:1a, NLT)
Through our adoption process of sweet Tabor Lane Forshee, we waited around 470 days, traveled around 1880 miles round-trip from Arkansas to South Dakota and back, went to Mobile, Alabama, only to find out we weren't going to adopt a baby, fundraised to be able to adopt, and of course, many emotions and other efforts to finally be able to bring home our son. But, Kyndall and I will tell you that the journey the Lord put us on to bring home our sweet child was all worth it!
Thinking about the effort and trials we went through makes me even more grateful for my relationship with Jesus, as I think about the effort and trials that God the Father went through in His adoption of us! Today's verse from 1 John tells us to "see what great love the Father has given us that we should be called God's children." What is this great love? How is this great love shown?
This great love was shown by God the Father when He sent Jesus down to the earth to make a relationship with God possible again.
This great love was shown by Jesus when He lived a perfect life for thirty-three years here on earth so He could be a perfect, spotless sacrifice.
This great love was shown when Jesus gave up His life on the cross to pay the punishment for our sins and to make a relationship with God possible again.
This great love was shown when Jesus rose from the grave and triumphantly declared that there is a way to a right relationship with God, and that is through Him!
You can see the great love that God has shown us every time you see or think about a cross. God went through so much to be able to call us His children. Let us relish in the fact that we did nothing to deserve this, but this was all initiated and followed through by our Heavenly Father.
We get to benefit from the truth that we are called God's children—and we are! When was the last time you thought about the effort and trials that God went through to adopt you? When was the last time you reflected not on the things you shouldn't be doing in your relationship with Jesus but rather on all that Jesus did for you to adopt you? I know for me, it is hard to even fathom that someone loves me so much to die for me, but Jesus DID; He did that for me and went through all that to adopt me. The same is true for you, follower of Jesus. Jesus went through so much to adopt you. Reflect on it, and bask in the love your Father has for you.
So let this truth be encouraging to you: See what great love the Father has given us that we should be called God's children—and we are!
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