VOTW | 1 John 3:1-2 - His Beloved

Hey Gems!!! I wanted to start off this week by telling you to be loved beloved.

We are all loved by a Father that never leaves us alone. He is always there to comfort, protect, shield, dry our tears, love us unconditionally and be our shoulder to cry on. God is, above all, the best Friend, Father and Provider in this world.

For me, I personally struggle at times and forget my identity as His precious daughter. Sometimes I forget that I am unconditionally and well loved by Him. However, this week I am dispelling my forgetfulness and hopefully yours too.

Today's verse for the week comes from 1 John 3:1-2 in the NKJV translation:

Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.

This scripture made my heart both break in sadness and jump for joy because it showed me how little I think of myself at times, but also revealed that not only does my Father love me, but He is also still doing a work in me that won't be complete until I see Him face to face.

Let's begin by defining both the words love and beloved:

• Love - 1 John is in the New Testament which was mainly written in Greek so, the form of love used when referring to the love God has for us is agapé, which means divine love and benevolence. The English definition is an intense feeling of deep affection.
• Beloved - Greek word agapétos means divinely loved, loved by God, dearly or well loved. The English definition is a much loved person or dearly loved.

With those two definitions in mind, let's dive in and break this scripture down a bit to reflect on it more...

The verse begins with "behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us." The word behold means to see or observe, so we see that the Apostle John (the writer of 1 John, one of the twelve disciples and one of three of Jesus' inner circle) is telling us to really observe what it is he is going to say in this verse. What does he want us to look? The manner of love that God gifts us with. We understand that His love is divine, it's unconditional and everlasting. He has given us this very love with no limitations or restraints. This speaks of the measure of God’s love to us. It also speaks of the manner of God’s giving of love. Him bestowing it to us means that it's a one-sided giving, instead of a return for something earned. He has such a deep, affectionate love for us. Do you look intently at the love that God has presented, honored and gifted you with?

The verse goes on to say "that we should be called children of God" which means that His love can be seen in how He calls us His children. I don't know about you, but I have a 4 year old and me being his mother makes my love for him unconditionally. No matter what he may say, do or think he will always be my child and I will always find a way to be there and protect him. If I, being only human, can show my love as such by doing this and calling him my son, doesn't that mean that God can do much more than I. We are called children of God by the Father (2 Corin 6:18), the Son (Heb 2:11) and the Holy Spirit (Rom 8:16). God wants us to know that we are His children. Seeing now that you are a child of God, do you understand that no matter what mistake you make He will always be your Father?

You know that feeling of being alone at times, do you understand that there is a reason for that? This verse tells us why AFTER we find out that we are loved and called a child of God: "therefore, the world does not know us because it did not know Him." We are not of this world. We come from a divine lineage of kings and queens, people chosen by God. Those of the world didn't know His son like we do. We have received the indwelling of the Holy Spirit through our faith in Jesus Christ as a gift from our precious Father. The world will always be against us and never understand us, so we will inevitably be alone. However, in that, we are truly never alone because we the Trinity forever by and with us. When you feel lonely, do you try and fix that void with the world who doesn't know you or the Father who adores you?

We then read a beautiful word that makes us realize who we are "beloved." This is how verse 2 begins which tells me that no matter what, as a child of God I am loved by Him dearly, truthfully, divinely and it's everlasting. I need not worry about Him not loving me when I make a mistake. If I feel like the world is slipping out my hand, I don't have to think it's because He took His love away from me. I am His daughter. You are His daughter (or son). As such we don't need to think about His love so hard. It's a guaranteed thing. Do you know that you are truly, dearly AND divinely loved by God every single second?

The verse continues on to say "now we are children of God" and I mean how much more plainer can it be said. At this point in time, no matter if I'm lonely, sad, depressed, happy, loved or bored...I am a child of God. Nothing and no one can change that part of my identity. Sometimes I forget this, but I can be assured that I am always His daughter. Do you understand that as your read this you are forever His daughter (or son)? Do you know that you were His child the moment you accepted His Son, Jesus Christ, into your life?

The verse doesn't stop there though! It goes to say "and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be." My God! My thoughts of who I am at any given moment is not who I will be. God is doing a work in us that we cannot comprehend or even see from our standpoint. They way we see ourselves cannot stand against how God sees us. When He looks at you He sees the you that will be and not the you that you see at this moment. In this sense, we can’t even imagine what we will be like and I truly thank God for that. Do you understand that you are not who God sees at this time? Do you think you can picture yourself as He sees you?

Verse 2 ends off as such, "but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is." Just because we cannot see our future does not mean that we left completely in the dark. In not knowing, we are to have faith and trust in God with the confidence of His child. We will be like Christ as we are made in the image of God. The day will come, but at this point and time it can be hard to understand when all we may see are letdowns, failures or drama. However, understand that the process is apart of the work. Though we grow into the image of Jesus now, we still have a long way to go. None of us will be finished until we see Jesus and stand before God -- what a joy that will be! Do you get that you are still a work in progress that will, in the end, be just like Christ? Do you understand that God loves you enough to continue His work in you til He lets you see His face?

It can be hard to understand that we are loved. It can be hard to look past our problems. We have moments where we may feel lonely or even times when depression may arise. The key, however, is to not stay there. Keep something on hand (a physical item) to keep you focused on God. That can be a small prayer journal, a photo, key-chain, a small devotional book, a card with a scripture on it, an app on your phone -- anything that you can physically grab hold of when you feel like you're alone, unloved and slipping into a slight depression.

Here are three more inspiring scriptures to remind you of His love for you. Take these and write them somewhere.

"The Lord your God in your midst, the Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing."

- Zephaniah 3:17 NKJV

"Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you."

- 1 Peter 5:6-7 NKJV

"And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me."

- 2 Corin 12:9 NKJV

You are well, dearly and deeply loved by God.

I pray these scriptures resonate with you and that you share this post with someone else! May you have a blessed and beautiful day!

Weekly Dare:

This week, allow God's love to be doused all over you. Don't second guess His love for you. If you find it hard to do so: look at the clouds, look at pretty flowers, look at scripture art or something that reminds you of His love for you.

Blessings,