The Single Greatest Gift:
Lavished Love

Scripture Reading:  1 John 3:2-6

Key Verse: 1 John 3:1

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.

Have you seen lavish love?  We think that way when we see grandparents bring in their truckload of gifts at Christmas time.  We think of this lavish love when our soldiers come home and run into the arms of the awaiting family.  We feel we experience lavish love when we hold our newborn babies for the first time.

            The Apostle John speaks of lavish love when he writes of the Father in heaven’s love for each of us!  Webster uses words like abundance, downpour, profuse, and excess in describing the word lavish.  When we get honest about our lifestyle and the way we rejected God, how could we ever think we could become children of God?  Let’s think of this in terms of the president of our nation and his family.  Many would think it such a privilege having the president as your dad.  The world news wants to know about the children of the president.  This illustration does not come close to explaining the privilege of being a child of God.

            John simply asks: How great is the love the Father has lavished on us?  The answer is clear: We are God’s children.  That means we are in a family and enjoy the family privileges.  Yes, this is lavish love, like a downpour, His blessings flow on us.  Let’s tell someone today about this love!

Father, I can’t imagine the true depths of your love.  I praise you for it and will determine to live a life that pleases you!  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.