Behold How Much God Loves You: You Are a Child of God

What does it really mean to be called a child of God? First John 3:1 gives us one of the most powerful declarations in all of Scripture, and it is worth slowing down to truly take it in.

"Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him." - 1 John 3:1 New King James Version (NKJV)

That word "behold" is not casual. It means: stop, pay attention, and get a hold of this. What follows is a truth that can change the way you see yourself and the way you live every single day.

What Does It Mean That God Has "Lavished" His Love on Us?

The word lavish is not one we use often enough. To lavish means to give with extreme, passionate generosity. It means sumptuous and extravagant. That is the kind of love God the Father has poured out on us.

The New King James Version uses the word "bestowed," which carries the idea of conferring an honor upon someone. Think of a king presenting a title or an office to a person. God, the supreme King of kings, has bestowed upon us the honor of being called His children. Not because we earned it, but because of Jesus.

This is not something we have to work toward. The moment we receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, we become His children instantly. It is who we are right here and right now.

God Is a Good Father

If God is our Father, that means He is our Dad, and He is a good one. He does not cause His people to suffer in order to teach them a lesson. He is our healer. The Bible even calls Him "Abba," which simply means Daddy.

One of the most powerful truths a believer can live in is this: God is good. All the time. When we forget that, we start to grumble. And when we grumble, we are actually confessing, in a way, that He is not good. Because we only grumble about things we believe are not good.

Heaven on Earth: What Are We Entitled to as God's Children?

Being a child of God does not mean life will be without struggle. But it does mean we have the right to pray heaven on earth. Jesus Himself taught His disciples to pray, "Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."

There is no sickness in heaven. There is no anxiety, no stress, no worry. God is not worried about the economy or what governments are doing. As His children, we are called to pray His kingdom into our experience, our families, our churches, and our communities.

"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." - Romans 6:23 New King James Version (NKJV)

Salvation is not just for when we die. Heaven can begin now. His life is ours, right here and right now, every single day.

Lest We Forget: Why the Bible Keeps Saying "Remember"

The Bible is filled, from beginning to end, with one repeated instruction: do not forget. Remember. Teach your children. Teach their children. Do not forget.

The book of Deuteronomy reads almost like Moses' final sermon before his death. He is urging the Israelites to remember everything God has done before they enter the promised land. One verse stands out:

"Take heed to yourselves, lest you forget the covenant of the Lord your God which He made with you." - Deuteronomy 4:23 New King James Version (NKJV)

The warning is clear. Forgetting God opens the door to putting other things in His place. In the Old Testament, that meant literal idols. Today, idols look different, but the principle is the same.

What Are Modern-Day Idols?

An idol is simply anything that causes us to say no to Jesus. It is anything we put before Him.

One of the biggest modern-day idols is money. The Bible does not say money is evil. It says the love of money is the root of all evil. When money, or any hobby, ambition, or comfort, gets more of our attention and devotion than Jesus does, it has become an idol.

This is one reason the principle of tithing matters. When we bring our tithe to the local church, we are declaring with our finances that God has our heart. As Jesus said, where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Giving keeps money in its right place and honors the King.

Psalm 103: Don't Forget His Benefits

The Psalms have much to say about remembering. Psalm 103 is one of the clearest examples:

"Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, Who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's." - Psalm 103:1-5 New King James Version (NKJV)

Forget not. He forgives. He heals. He redeems. He satisfies. These are not promises for someday. They are benefits we carry as His children today.

Why Communion Is a Call to Remember

In 1 Corinthians 11, Jesus says, "Do this in remembrance of Me." Every time we take communion, we are declaring: I have not forgotten what You did. I have not forgotten that You are my provider and my healer. I have not forgotten the price You paid.

Two of the biggest battles believers face are financial breakthrough and physical healing. Communion is a regular, intentional act of remembering that Jesus is Jehovah Jireh, our provider, and Jehovah Rapha, our healer.

Why Gathering Together Matters More Than Ever

Hebrews 10:25 says not to neglect meeting together, but to do so all the more as the day approaches. Fellowship is not just a social activity. It is shared life. It is kingdom. The kingdom of God is fundamentally relational.

Jesus was in the synagogue on the Sabbath as was His custom. Paul was in the synagogue on the Sabbath as was his custom. Honoring God's day, setting it apart, is not a legalistic rule. It is an act of honor toward the King. Small acts of honour that may seem insignificant to us are significant to God.

What Happens When We Forget God?

Every time Israel forgot God in the Old Testament, it cost them dearly. Their forgetting gave their enemies an opportunity to oppress them. The same is true today. When we forget what Jesus has done, when we forget who we are as His children, we give the enemy a foothold.

But when we remember, when we hold onto the truth of the cross and the lavish love of the Father, we close that door.

You Can Come to a Throne of Grace, Not a Throne of Judgment

Even when we mess up, we are not rejected. Jesus already took the punishment. We do not come before a throne of judgment. We come before a throne of grace, to find mercy in our time of need.

We have been saved. We are being saved. And we will continue to be saved until we go to glory or Jesus returns. That is the gospel. That is what it means to be a Christian.

What Is Our Purpose as God's Children?

Once we know who we are as God's children, the next question is: what is our purpose? One clear answer is this: to be transformed by the renewing of our minds, to become more and more like Jesus.

There is a story of a man who had a vision of standing before God. He came ready to list all his good works, all his ministry, all he had done for the kingdom. But God asked Him only one question: "During your life, how much like Jesus did you become?"

That is the goal. Not a list of achievements, but a life increasingly shaped by the character of Christ.

Life Application

This week, choose one intentional act of remembering. It might be writing 1 John 3:1 somewhere you will see it daily. It might be taking a few minutes each morning to speak out loud what God has done for you. It might be honoring the Sabbath in a way you have let slip. Whatever it looks like for you, do not let the busyness of life cause you to forget who you are and whose you are.

Ask yourself these questions as you go into the week:

• Am I living like a child of God, or have I forgotten who I am in Him?
• Is there anything in my life that has quietly moved into first place ahead of Jesus?
• When I face difficulty this week, will I come to a throne of grace, or will I forget that it is available to me?
• In what practical way can I become a little more like Jesus this week?

The Father has lavished His love on you. You are His child. Do not forget it.