#DailyDevotion As Children of God We Know Him As Our Father

Tuesday Easter 3

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.

 

Well you can see God’s great love for us if you understand what we were before God called us to faith. Before we were weak, sinners, enemies of God and ungodly but now we are called the children of God. Our Father called us out of darkness into his light and has given us birth from above. So now we are his children. Through baptism into Jesus’ name we have been joined to his Son and now we are sons. We have been granted this gift of faith and life in Jesus and now we know God. We know God as our Father. We know our Father is merciful, kind, loving, and patient with us not wanting any to perish but for all to have everlasting life.

 

The world does not know us though and it doesn’t know the Father. If it know of our God in any fashion, it only knows him as a judgmental, wrathful God who only wants to knock us on the head. Perhaps deep down, everyone who does not know him as we know him, knows him this way.

 

But we know him differently because we are his children. We are his heirs and co-heirs with Christ. We have been born from above by the will of the Father. While we were once not his children we have been washed, justified and sanctified by the Spirit through the water and the word. We can cry out to God, “Abba, Father” with all our wants, needs and desires and know he hears us and answers our prayers.

 

We know him as a loving Father who would sacrifice his only begotten son so we may have the redemption of sons. His great love sent Jesus to die for us. Some see this as cruel. But it is a cruelty that we deserve because of our sinfulness. Jesus did not stay dead. He is alive. Those who reject the love he has for us by going to the cross will receive in themselves what they want, i.e. what they deserve. We do believe what he has done for us and this faith gives us a true knowledge of him and the Father’s love.

 

Heavenly Father, always grant us this faith that knows you as a merciful, king and loving God in your Son Jesus Christ, that we might always have a right knowledge of you and be your children. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.