1 John 3:1 --- See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.
The new work week is here. What adventures and hijinks await only the Lord knows, but I'm ready to follow Him into and through it!
After talking with the Lord this morning, we moved into 1 John chapter 3. After spending almost, a month in chapter 2 it's like standing up and stretching after sitting a while. God had deep reasons to stay in chapter 2 for sure. Making sure we know that we know we're His and cautioning of antichrists/false teachers. Very deep things for sure!
This chapter starts off with a bang! Verse 1 had three things highlighted in it.
1. See what kind of or what quality of, LOVE the Father has given or bestowed on us.
2. Because of that LOVE are to be called His children and so we are His children.
3. The world doesn't know us because they didn't and don't know Him.
There is so much here already but where the Lord took me to was in the first item where He says: "…love the Father has given (bestowed) to us". We can read this on the surface and fully understand it. Father God has given us or bestowed on us His love. We know He so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, Jesus. (John 3:16) Simple but we still dove into the Greek and this simplicity just really shined with something overwhelmingly beautiful.
In Greek there is a single word for "given to us" or "bestowed on us" in this verse. The word is didōmi meaning: to give, to bestow.
Okay, I know from the definition alone it doesn't seem like we're getting much deeper or shining much brighter, but when you look under the surface of the Greek word itself you see something there in the tense of the verb. OH NO PHILLIP, NOT ENGLISH/GREEK SCHOOL LESSONS!! Just hang in there for 30 more seconds! LOL.
The tense of a verb gives you the timing of it or the state being. For example if a verb is present, it's happening right now. "You are READING this sentence.". If it's past tense well, "You read the sentence before this one.".
Okay, you get it. So here is what jumped out in didōmi:
1. The verb used for "Given to us" or "Bestowed on us" is in what's called PERFECT tense and here's what that is: In Greek corresponds to the perfect tense in English, and describes an action which is viewed as having been completed in the past, once and for all, not needing to be repeated.
If you're still here after Greek/English class, you are either extraordinarily strong willed or a word geek like me. LOL.
We know God's ultimate love for us was sending Jesus to die on the cross and pay the penalty for the world's sin. As followers of Christ Jesus we accept that and everything we believe hinges on Jesus, his life, his death and his resurrection, but I think sometimes it's easy to look at this past event, roll it into a "Sins are forgiven" category, be grateful for it and then take it out and review it deeply each Easter season. But most of the time we move on to the "Current Daily Life" category and we seem feel we need more love or more of something.
This really hit me that He BESTOWED HIS LOVE on us… Perfectly, completed in the past, once and for all, not needing to be repeated. Can we really fathom that? Maybe you're thinking what a simpleton I am, as I realize this concept can be seen on the surface, but this morning God is just showing me this unimaginable, unfathomable depth behind the LOVE He has already given to us, bestowed on us.
I know sometimes we can get in rough places in life and the world can be harsh and evil and we find ourselves needing a breath of fresh air from Him, a touch from Him, a word from Him, a glimpse of something, a feeling of love… but I just think about how many times I needed those things and skipped right over what He's already given me, what Jesus has already done, what LOVE has already been perfectly completed and bestowed on me. I kept praying and all the while wearing His love on me as the robe, sandals and ring He lavishly put on me with when this prodigal son came home to Him. (Luke 15:11-32).
Okay, so I'm sitting here at 6:50 AM all emotional, typing this up and just being filled to overflowing with His love and there's no end to it. Just know if you find yourself in that rough, impossible place in life and you need something from Him, there is nothing wrong with that at all. NOT AT ALL!! So don't hear that in what I'm saying. Just make sure you go to Him. Run to Him. Fall on your face at His feet. Cling to the love He has poured out. YES, keep praying, yes keep seeking, yes keep knocking! Get with your brothers and sisters in Christ to pray with you, to walk with you BUT don't ever, ever, ever overlook the perfect, completed love He has bestowed upon you already, that is done, finished, never needs to be done again. That wasn't just your sins being forgiven, that was the ULTIMATE UNENDING LOVE of GOD being bestowed upon you.
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