Behold what manner of love

“Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.” (I John 3:1)

I absolutely love this verse! There is something comforting, something exciting about knowing that God loves us in ways we cannot even describe! By the same token, I often get so excited that I forget the second part of this verse: the world doesn’t know us – doesn’t understand us, because they don’t know Jesus.

Over the course of the past few months, I have had the roller-coaster ride of my life. Not just me, but many with whom I interact. It seems the world has turned upside down. Satan has turned up his attacks against the believers in so many ways it’s hard to believe. I know I sound like an old person, but WOW this isn’t the same world I grew up in! We have witnessed legalized gambling, legalized marijuana, legalized homosexuality, on and on it goes. So many things have changed. Yet we were told this would happen. Men would call bad good and good bad. Family members would turn against one another. There would be the constant threat of wars and rumors of wars. Famine. Earthquakes. The heavens acting strange. Christians would turn away from the God of their youth and be consciously and willingly led astray by strange doctrines. And yet, in this verse, we are reminded to be in awe of the love God has bestowed upon us, calling us His children.

I have said it before and I will repeat it here: I wish I had known God at the level at which I do now years ago. Each of us comes to God from a different perspective, from different backgrounds, so our walks are going to be different. I get that. But to have been raised in the church and to have attended church all my life, I feel like my growth has been stunted in so many ways. I’m sure many of us feel the same way. It’s not until we run into someone who is fanatical about their faith that we see just how different we can be. I remember meeting a man years ago by the name of Kenneth Spurlock. He was weird (in my mind). He was definitely “out there” as far as his faith was concerned. He led a Bible study to which I was invited. Now, I had watched him from afar for awhile before the invitation came and had already come to the conclusion that he wasn’t quite all there. He was so pure, so careful in his walk, so straight that I had decided he was a mental case. At the Bible study I attended, Brother Kenneth attempted to explain his relationship with Jesus. He told us that his love for Jesus eclipsed his love of women. In fact, the descriptions he used gave us the impression that he was, in fact, in love with Jesus. As an earthly man, a carnal Christian (at best), I was creeped out. He cried when he prayed. He lifted his hands in worship. He only spoke the name of Jesus in the tenderest and most reverant tones. I never went back to his Bible study – I was afraid whatever he had would rub off on me. That was over forty years ago.

And yet, here I sit in my office telling you, basically, the same thing. It has taken decades of God working on me and in me to finally realize that Kenneth was right. To be really honest with you, I feel like Kenneth was so holy he probably never died. I suspect that he went out for a walk one day and never returned for God took him like he did Enoch. I, on the other hand, am more like Peter on the Mount of Olives cutting off peoples’ ears for saying something bad about Jesus. Different strokes. Yet God loves me just as deeply as He does Kenneth and you. We (as Christians) are all different, yet we all reflect God’s glory – just from a different perspective. I can only look on in awe as I see how much God loves each one of us. “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us…”

My challenge to you today, my friend, is to simply tell God “Thank you.” Thank you for not giving up on me. Thank you for not turning away from me – even in my sin, You waited. In my rebellion, somehow You were able to protect me from myself. Thank you, God, for lovingly coaxing me back – for allowing me to feel Your love when I really wasn’t even looking for it. Thank you for saving me physically. Think about it, my friend. Everything you and I have gone through, and yet here we are. We made it this far. By the grace of God. We may have lost a lot along the way, but I trust that you and I will begin to look around us and be grateful for what we still have. Be grateful for those friends who are still in your life. Be grateful for your church family. Be grateful for your ability to see, hear, smell, taste, feel. Be grateful for the humongous bumble bee that scares the life out of you when you walk out your front door. Be thankful for the hummingbirds and the hawks that frequent your yard and neighborhood. We have literally millions of things in our lives that reflect the beauty and imagination of God all around us. And yet, this same God Who created all these things and continues to provide and care for them loves you, too. Take the time today to stop at some point and simply breathe a “Thank you” to Him.

Be blessed.