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1 See what love the Father has given 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. 2 Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is. 3 And all who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure. (1 John 3:1-3 NRS)
Happy Tuesday, Friend! Make it count! You matter to God so live in that manner; let the world see in you the love of God! How? By showing love to all people; responding graciously to all needs and not making it a big deal! You're making history in Heaven!
Did you ever wish, even for a split second, that you could be adopted by one of the world's richest families? (Forget what you know about them now, but thinking on the supposed access to money?). I just read that a retired NBA star has cut out his only son from all of his money. Was he being mean with his scion? No, he was reacting to the abuse the son was playing with his money. The son lost $23 million dollars in one night at a casino. He lost three mansions he owned around the world. He stole his mother's prized jewelry worth millions and sold them for $20,000! The most harmful part as his mother lay sick in a hospital with a serious health condition the son stayed away because he said he didn't care. That was the last straw and he's now out of the will. Okay, I mentioned several things many would love to have just one of. A mansion. A piece of costly jewelry. A million dollars. Thankfully, many of you already know those things are temporary and don't matter in the big picture of things; and many of you are already so rich in the precious things like love and acceptance, that having all those material things count for nothing. And you know that nothing can take the place of a good hug from one of your loved ones, or to hear whispered I-love-yous from people who have truly shown you that you matter. And in case you haven't, YOU matter to God, and YOU matter to me. And I love you! And this passage is all about that love that will never end.
There’s a moment in 1 John 3 where the writer seems to stop mid-thought, almost out of breath, and just says, “See what love the Father has given us.” Not “consider” or “keep in mind.” See. Look at this. It’s as if he’s pointing at something so astonishing that he can’t believe we’re walking past it.
And what is it? That we should be called children of God. Then he adds four quiet words that change everything: “and that is what we are.” Not that we might become God’s children if we get things right. Not that we’ll be adopted someday once we’ve proven ourselves. We are children of God right now, today, in whatever shape we’re in.
That’s a good word for All Saints Day. When we remember the saints, it’s tempting to picture a spiritual elite, people who reached a level of holiness the rest of us can only admire. But 1 John says something far more tender. The saints we remember were God’s children the same way we are, by love freely given. The grandmother who prayed through every hardship, the friend who kept the faith through long illness, the faithful ones whose names we whisper today: none of them earned their way in. They were loved into the family, and they lived like it.
John is honest, too, that being God’s child doesn’t always look impressive from the outside. “The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know Him.” If you’ve ever felt out of step with the world because of your faith, or if the people you love have been misunderstood for following Christ, this verse offers a steadying thought. Being unrecognized by the world doesn’t mean being unknown by God. The same Father who knows His Son knows His children.
Then comes my favorite part: “Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed.” Notice that John calls his readers beloved, and he’s writing to real people with real struggles. He doesn’t pretend we’ve arrived. There is an honest “not yet” in this passage. We are children now, and we are still becoming. We still carry unfinished business, old habits, and sorrows that haven’t healed. All Saints Day holds both truths together. We remember those who have finished the race, and we are reminded that we’re still running ours.
And here is the hope that holds it all: “when He is revealed, we will be like Him, for we will see Him as He is.” Think about that. The saints we miss are not lost. They have seen what we are still waiting to see. And the day is coming when all of God’s people will look into the face of Christ and find that He has finished the work He began in each of us. Grief is real, and so is this promise.
Finally, John says that everyone who has this hope in Him “purifies themselves, just as He is pure.” That might sound like pressure, but notice the order. Hope comes first, and purity follows. We don’t clean ourselves up to become God’s children. We live as God’s children, held by a future we can trust, and that hope gently draws us toward becoming who we already are. The saints lived that way, not perfectly, but hopefully, leaning toward the light they knew was coming.
So as you remember those who have gone before you, let their memory remind you of something even bigger: the love of the Father that held them is the same love holding you now.
PRAYER: Father, thank You for the love that calls us Your children, for the saints who showed us the way, and for the hope that one day we will see Christ face to face, in Christ’s strong name we pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! OUR CALL TO ACTION: Today, say your name aloud as a prayer, “I am a beloved child of God,” and then reach out to someone whose faith has shaped yours to let them know what they mean to you.
I love you and I thank God for you! You matter to God and you matter to me! Live a life that shows that off!
Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.
