Children of God

How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.

 1 John 3:1

What would you not do for your children? I would imagine that most of us would brave "hell or high water" for our kids. We are willing to sacrifice no small amount for our children if they need us. With that comes the ups and downs of parenting, which are more extreme than I ever thought possible. When my kids are happy and achieve their goals, my heart is full of joy. When my children hurt, my heart has never been more broken. 

I have also learned more about God's love from being a mother than from any other experience. Is it any wonder that God chose to identify with us through the powerful relationship of a parent to His children? 

Christmas took on so much more meaning for me after I had my son. When I saw pictures of Mary holding baby Jesus, the idea of sacrificial love became real. The great love for me that propelled my salvation to be worth the sacrifice of God's only Son was beyond comprehension. And I determined that a God who loved me like that deserved my all, my complete commitment.

As much as He loved us, we should love one another. And with this also comes sacrifice. Loving others can get messy. It can be inconvenient. It can be draining. Because of His great love for us, we sacrifice so that others will know His love, too. Now if we are children, then we are heirs--heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory (Romans 8:17). 

Loving others because He loved us requires self-sacrifice. It comes down to putting someone else’s needs above our own. What are you willing to sacrifice so that others may know Him?

Father, show us how to love others sacrificially. Thank you for demonstrating such love that you sacrificed Jesus to draw me unto yourself.  

Julie