1 John 3:1-3 - Precious to God

You are very precious to God (Daniel 9:23).  God hears your prayers.  He will never give up on you.  God sent Jesus - just as He told Daniel he would - so that not only will we have eternal life, but “the sovereign power and greatness of all the kingdoms under heaven will be given to the holy people of the Most High.  His kingdom will last forever, and all rulers will serve and obey him” (Daniel 7:27).  I believe that God wants us to understand the full meaning and weight of His true Gospel.  It is news and knowledge of what God has done and what He will do.

In this passage, John reminds us that we are God’s children.  Precious.  Loved.  We know what God has done for us through Jesus.  But we are warned in 1 John to have our heads screwed on straight (Saskatchewan saying).  Be wary of legalists.  That is, we don’t preach a false gospel that says Christ came to take away our sins, but yet we have to then earn our salvation by what we do and by judging others around us on how they are or are not following God.  Legalists make themselves God.  Nor are we soft soap Christians who preach an easy gospel that you can be a Christian and be fully devoted to worldly desires and keep on sinning.  You are not like that.  Christ Jesus has given us His Spirit so we have direct access to discern the truth (2:20).

        Instead, we preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ taught in the scriptures that says in Christ we are new creations and that we are being transformed by the renewing of our minds and souls (Romans 12:2).  We trust God alone and let him transform us by changing the way we think.  Confession and repentance is an essential part of who we are as God’s children.  We are fragile jars, but tougher than nails through Christ.  We ask God to search our hearts daily and to point out the sins that we must turn away from.  Without God’s constant guidance, we will drift.  We know that we can be deceived so we remind each other to be diligent.

Recognize that Jesus is the Emperor of all emperors.  He makes all things.  And He is making a Kingdom now that is eternal.  Jesus will rescue us today from all trouble.  But He will not turn a blind eye to lies, deception, and those who pretend to be His, but who reject the truth to strive for their own desires.

People may be fooled.  God may not be fooled.  God has prepared destruction for those who reject Him, the legalists who claim by their actions and attitude that they are God, and those who use God’s name but serve their own purposes.  Leave them all to God.  Our business is to work today alongside our King.  We do so striving for no selfish ambitions.  Instead, we live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and reverence to him.  Not only does He know those who are His children, but they are precious to Him, His prized possessions.  Let's remind each other today how much God loves us.  that is why we love others.

Does God have furious anger today like He had against Jerusalem and the ancient people who sinned and were full of wickedness?  Yes.  He does.  God’s standards of holiness don’t change.  Yet God is merciful.  He sees our desire and our complete need for Him.  He wants His children to bear His name with honor.  I pray that we do so today.

God will provide all we need today to give honor to Him.  God made us.  And is transforming us.  God set eternity in our hearts.  We know the Kingdom of God is coming.  Yet we have little insight into what Jesus has done and will do (Ecclesiastes 3:11).

        This passage from John reminds us that we know enough.  We do know that we will be like Jesus (3:2).  We will have new bodies and we will see God as he really is (3:2).  The fact that we only have a glimpse and taste of the eternal doesn’t mean that we stop thinking and focusing on the things above.  Indeed, eternity and Jesus’s Kingdom are our home and our hope (2 Corinthians 4:16-18).

        I pray we live victoriously today with determined advocacy for the things of Christ Jesus.  Amen.

Precious little Beckett.