Monday
The Greatest Love
See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of
God; and so we are. — 1 John 3:1a (ESV)
In his sermon When the Game is Over, It All Goes Back in the Box, John Ortberg recalls
a time when his young son, during a family game night, suddenly declared, “I’m done
losing. Dad, you love me even when I lose, right?” Ortberg laughed and said, “That’s the
kind of love you don’t earn. It’s already yours.”
John opens chapter 3 with awe: “See what kind of love the Father has given to us.” The
phrase “what kind” implies a love that’s out of this world—literally foreign, extravagant,
undeserved. We aren’t just forgiven sinners—we’re called children of God. And John
adds, “and so we are,” as if to say, “It’s not a title—it’s a fact.”
This is adoption at its core: a Father who chooses us, claims us, and changes our
name. Pastor Jacob reminded us that no earthly father—no matter how loving—can top
that kind of gift. Through Jesus, we’re brought into the family of God with all the rights
and relationship that come with it.
God’s love isn’t abstract. It’s personal, familial, and costly. In a world that measures
worth by success or status, this verse reminds us that our identity is rooted in a Father
who knows us fully and loves us completely.
Reflection Questions:
1. What does it mean to you to be called a child of God?
2. How would your life change if you truly believed you were fully loved by the
Father?
Suggested Prayer:
Father, thank You for calling me Your child and giving me a love I could never earn.
Help me live in the joy of that truth.
See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of
God; and so we are. — 1 John 3:1a (ESV)
In his sermon When the Game is Over, It All Goes Back in the Box, John Ortberg recalls
a time when his young son, during a family game night, suddenly declared, “I’m done
losing. Dad, you love me even when I lose, right?” Ortberg laughed and said, “That’s the
kind of love you don’t earn. It’s already yours.”
John opens chapter 3 with awe: “See what kind of love the Father has given to us.” The
phrase “what kind” implies a love that’s out of this world—literally foreign, extravagant,
undeserved. We aren’t just forgiven sinners—we’re called children of God. And John
adds, “and so we are,” as if to say, “It’s not a title—it’s a fact.”
This is adoption at its core: a Father who chooses us, claims us, and changes our
name. Pastor Jacob reminded us that no earthly father—no matter how loving—can top
that kind of gift. Through Jesus, we’re brought into the family of God with all the rights
and relationship that come with it.
God’s love isn’t abstract. It’s personal, familial, and costly. In a world that measures
worth by success or status, this verse reminds us that our identity is rooted in a Father
who knows us fully and loves us completely.
Reflection Questions:
1. What does it mean to you to be called a child of God?
2. How would your life change if you truly believed you were fully loved by the
Father?
Suggested Prayer:
Father, thank You for calling me Your child and giving me a love I could never earn.
Help me live in the joy of that truth.
Tuesday
Adopted, Not Just Accepted
...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. —1 John 3:1b (ESV)
In 1521, Martin Luther stood on trial before the Holy Roman Empire and famously
declared, “Here I stand. I can do no other.” Why was he treated as a heretic? Because
the world didn’t recognize his identity as a son of God—it only saw a threat to its
system.
John reminds believers that being misunderstood is part of the package. “The world
does not know us.” Why? Because it didn’t recognize Jesus. His humility baffled kings,
His compassion offended religious elites, and His truth-telling got Him crucified.
Being God's child sets you apart, not just for privilege, but for pressure. That disconnect
between heaven’s values and earth’s expectations means believers often seem
strange—or even suspect—to the world. And that’s okay. If you've never misunderstood
for your faith, you may want to ask whether your light is hidden under a bowl.
God’s children carry His likeness, and sometimes that resemblance makes the world
uncomfortable.
Reflection Questions:
1. Have you ever felt misunderstood or rejected for your faith?
2. What encouragement can you take from knowing Jesus experienced the same?
Suggested Prayer:
Father, remind me that I am fully Yours, even when the world doesn’t see or
understand. Let my life reflect Your family resemblance.
...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. —1 John 3:1b (ESV)
In 1521, Martin Luther stood on trial before the Holy Roman Empire and famously
declared, “Here I stand. I can do no other.” Why was he treated as a heretic? Because
the world didn’t recognize his identity as a son of God—it only saw a threat to its
system.
John reminds believers that being misunderstood is part of the package. “The world
does not know us.” Why? Because it didn’t recognize Jesus. His humility baffled kings,
His compassion offended religious elites, and His truth-telling got Him crucified.
Being God's child sets you apart, not just for privilege, but for pressure. That disconnect
between heaven’s values and earth’s expectations means believers often seem
strange—or even suspect—to the world. And that’s okay. If you've never misunderstood
for your faith, you may want to ask whether your light is hidden under a bowl.
God’s children carry His likeness, and sometimes that resemblance makes the world
uncomfortable.
Reflection Questions:
1. Have you ever felt misunderstood or rejected for your faith?
2. What encouragement can you take from knowing Jesus experienced the same?
Suggested Prayer:
Father, remind me that I am fully Yours, even when the world doesn’t see or
understand. Let my life reflect Your family resemblance.
Wednesday
The Greatest Life
Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared... — 1
John 3:2a (ESV)
Comedian Jim Gaffigan jokes, “I have five kids. I love them all the same—just not all at
the same time.” Parenting, like discipleship, is about loving someone even when they’re
still growing into who they’re meant to be. That’s exactly what John’s getting at: “We are
God’s children now”—not later, not when we’re mature, not when we’ve earned it. And
yet, “what we will be has not yet appeared.” There’s more to come.
God sees who you are and who you’re becoming. Philippians 1:6 says, “He who began
a good work in you will bring it to completion…” That’s not a vague hope—it’s a
guarantee. Your spiritual growth is a divine project, and the Father is the foreman. This
gives us security and motivation. You don’t have to perform your way into God’s family,
but you are being transformed daily as a member of it.
Reflection Questions:
1. In what ways are you growing to look more like Jesus?
2. How does knowing God sees your future self affect how you view your present
self?
Suggested Prayer:
Father, thank You that I am already Your child. Grow me day by day into who You made
me to be.
Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared... — 1
John 3:2a (ESV)
Comedian Jim Gaffigan jokes, “I have five kids. I love them all the same—just not all at
the same time.” Parenting, like discipleship, is about loving someone even when they’re
still growing into who they’re meant to be. That’s exactly what John’s getting at: “We are
God’s children now”—not later, not when we’re mature, not when we’ve earned it. And
yet, “what we will be has not yet appeared.” There’s more to come.
God sees who you are and who you’re becoming. Philippians 1:6 says, “He who began
a good work in you will bring it to completion…” That’s not a vague hope—it’s a
guarantee. Your spiritual growth is a divine project, and the Father is the foreman. This
gives us security and motivation. You don’t have to perform your way into God’s family,
but you are being transformed daily as a member of it.
Reflection Questions:
1. In what ways are you growing to look more like Jesus?
2. How does knowing God sees your future self affect how you view your present
self?
Suggested Prayer:
Father, thank You that I am already Your child. Grow me day by day into who You made
me to be.
Thursday
The Greatest Hope
...but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as
he is. —1 John 3:2b (ESV)
A Sunday School teacher once asked her class what they thought heaven would be
like. One little girl raised her hand and said, “I think heaven will feel like finally being
home, but with no bedtime and all the dessert I want.” She wasn’t wrong about the
feeling—just needed a little theological fine-tuning!
John gives us a more precise picture. He says our hope is this: when Jesus appears,
we’ll be like Him—not just morally, but completely. This hope isn’t wishful thinking; it’s
rooted in a promised encounter. Pastor Jacob described it as the moment when faith
becomes sight when transformation is complete, and we reflect the glory of the One
who saved us.
Seeing Jesus as He is will change us in an instant. That’s the trajectory of our lives—not
mere behavior modification, but full glorification. This hope empowers us not just to look
forward—but to live upward.
Reflection Questions:
1. How does your hope in Christ’s return shape your daily life?
2. What parts of your character do you long for Jesus to transform?
Suggested Prayer:
Father, thank You for the promise that I’ll be like Jesus one day. Help me live in light of
that glorious hope today.
...but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as
he is. —1 John 3:2b (ESV)
A Sunday School teacher once asked her class what they thought heaven would be
like. One little girl raised her hand and said, “I think heaven will feel like finally being
home, but with no bedtime and all the dessert I want.” She wasn’t wrong about the
feeling—just needed a little theological fine-tuning!
John gives us a more precise picture. He says our hope is this: when Jesus appears,
we’ll be like Him—not just morally, but completely. This hope isn’t wishful thinking; it’s
rooted in a promised encounter. Pastor Jacob described it as the moment when faith
becomes sight when transformation is complete, and we reflect the glory of the One
who saved us.
Seeing Jesus as He is will change us in an instant. That’s the trajectory of our lives—not
mere behavior modification, but full glorification. This hope empowers us not just to look
forward—but to live upward.
Reflection Questions:
1. How does your hope in Christ’s return shape your daily life?
2. What parts of your character do you long for Jesus to transform?
Suggested Prayer:
Father, thank You for the promise that I’ll be like Jesus one day. Help me live in light of
that glorious hope today.
Friday
The Hope that Purifies
And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure. —1 John 3:3 (ESV)
Charles Spurgeon once joked, “Some Christians would be better saints if they weren’t
always polishing their halo instead of washing their hands.” That’s John’s point here:
true hope doesn’t make us smug—it makes us pure.
The word “purifies” implies an intentional, daily cleansing—not perfection, but direction.
Hope in Jesus’ return leads us to clean house spiritually, not because we’re afraid, but
because we’re family. We want to reflect the Father we resemble.
God’s love isn’t license to live any way we want—it’s a call to live as His children.
Holiness is our joyful response to adoption, not the entrance requirement. And this kind
of purity is contagious. A hopeful, holy life points others to a God worth knowing—and a
home worth heading to.
Reflection Questions:
1. What are some distractions that keep you from living with purity and purpose?
2. How can your hope in Christ help you resist temptation?
Suggested Prayer:
Father, purify my heart today. Make my life reflect the hope I have in Jesus and the joy
of being Your child.
And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure. —1 John 3:3 (ESV)
Charles Spurgeon once joked, “Some Christians would be better saints if they weren’t
always polishing their halo instead of washing their hands.” That’s John’s point here:
true hope doesn’t make us smug—it makes us pure.
The word “purifies” implies an intentional, daily cleansing—not perfection, but direction.
Hope in Jesus’ return leads us to clean house spiritually, not because we’re afraid, but
because we’re family. We want to reflect the Father we resemble.
God’s love isn’t license to live any way we want—it’s a call to live as His children.
Holiness is our joyful response to adoption, not the entrance requirement. And this kind
of purity is contagious. A hopeful, holy life points others to a God worth knowing—and a
home worth heading to.
Reflection Questions:
1. What are some distractions that keep you from living with purity and purpose?
2. How can your hope in Christ help you resist temptation?
Suggested Prayer:
Father, purify my heart today. Make my life reflect the hope I have in Jesus and the joy
of being Your child.
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