Extravagant Love

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.

This verse stood out this week because of the word lavished. I looked it up. It means to expend or give in great amounts or without limit. How cool is that the Father loves us without limit when he calls us his children. The picture I get in my mind is of a love that is so grea tit can not be contained and it overflows the vessel that holds it and is poured out on those around. When we take the time to walk with God and listen to his instruction we are close to him and that love is poured out on us.

The second part of the verse has had an impact this week as well. I have had a few encounters that left me wondering "What were they thinking?" Now this would not have been so unexpected if it had been in relation to the kids since they regularly leave me wondering. These encounters were with adults and with the difference between how the world sees things and how we can see things when we pay attention to God's leading. The world did not know him. Those without hope did not and do not recognize God and they do not understand us. We do not fit in here because we have God with us and the hope they are missing. He is with us and is preparing something wonderful for us, after all he has already lavished us with love so what is to come is going to be amazing. We have the hope they are missing and we have the love he is pouring out on us.

1 John 3:2-3
Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.