This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
How great is that love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!
Remember back when you were in elementary school and you could always tell who was the teacher’s pet? Maybe YOU were the teacher’s pet! But if you weren’t I am sure you can remember how unfair that it seemed that the teacher seemed to like that one student best. Why should he or she receive all the favor from the teacher when the whole class wanted it? That was not the way it was supposed to be… so aren’t we all glad that that is not the way it is with God?
Most of us have heard about God’s love since we were very young. We can quote John 3:16 by heart, but unfortunately that can make the meaning of the verse become common or lost. We need to look into God’s word again with fresh eyes and grasp anew the full meaning of his love for us. We all are the recipients of his favor. We all are his “pets”. If we have responded to his love and entered into a personal relationship with him, we have been given adoption into his family and blessings too great to number. We need to look again at just what his favor means in our lives.
who we were
As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath.
Maybe you think that you have not lived such a bad life. Maybe you think that you have been good and kind to people and you do not commit the “big” sins listed in the ten commandments. But the truth is that any righteous deed you have done is like a filthy rag. The truth is that apart from Christ you were spiritually dead, and bound for Hell. The bible says that we were enemies of God. It was into this dead, dirty, hostile situation that God stepped in with his love.
what he did
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade…
Jesus took our punishment. He rescued us from eternal separation from him, and gave us the right to be called his children. He paved a way to a Holy God that we could never reach on our own. We were hopeless without him, but he has given us a living hope that can never be taken away. Words can never express what he did for us. Our hearts can hardly hold it all. Yet, he lovingly enters into our lives and blesses us with the gift of himself.
what we should do
Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”
No, this verse does not mean that we have to live a perfect life. But what it does mean is that we are to be obedient to God and his word, and depend on the Holy Spirit within us to enable us to live a life pleasing to God. Our part is to love the good and reject the bad. Our part is to spend time in his word and in his presence for guidance. Our part is to obey him when he leads us to speak for him, love for him, or live for him. His part is to provide the power to do all that he calls us to do.
make it real
Spend a few minutes thinking about your life as it is was before you became a Christian. Or if you became a Christian at a young age, try to imagine what your life would have been like if you had not met him. Think about what your tendencies and weaknesses are. Try to imagine just how different you would have been apart from his mercy. Now think of all the changes in your life that have come about as a result of knowing Christ. Think of the blessings that you enjoy because you know him. And experience what you have been saved from and redeemed to. Give him thanks for all he has done!
prayer
Lord Jesus, I thank you that you have included me in your unmerited favor. I know that I do not deserve it and could never earn it. Thank you for the grace in my life that allows me to come into your presence. Never let me loose sight of what you have done for me. Instead, empower me to live a life worthy of your calling. Help me live only for you. In your name, Amen.