LOVINGLY GAVE

What marvelous love the Father has extended to us! Just look at it - we're called children of God! That's who we really are. But that's also why the world doesn't recognise us or take us seriously, because it had no idea who He is or what He's up to.

But friends, that's exactly who we are: children of God. And that's only the beginning. Who knows how we'll end up! What we know is that when Christ is openly revealed, we'll see Him - and in seeing Him, BECOME LIKE HIM. ALL of us who look forward to His Coming stay ready, with the glistening purity of Jesus' life as a model for our own.

1 John 3:1-3

The King James rendition of verse 2 of the same chapter says, 'Behold, NOW ARE WE THE SONS OF GOD, and doth not yet appear what we shall be: But we know that, when He shall appear, WE SHALL BE LIKE HIM; for WE shall see Him as He is.'

Glory to God! That's the good news for the season we are in. Divinity expressed His LOVE by not only giving His ONLY BEGOTTEN SON as a ransome for our sins; He gave more than we deserve, knowing very well we cannot give back. He made us Sons (generic). We, who hitherto had no hope of coming into His rest. Not only that we have been assured that we shall be like Jesus Christ when He comes the second time to take us home. The meaning of the word 'preach' is good news, hence a preacher is a dispenser of the Good News. That is life eternal now and future glorification: mortality will give way to immortality.

LOVE is an active word. You canmot say you LOVE someone without giving to the person. I demonstrate my love and affection for my wife, Marian, by giving her my time, attention, listening ear and providing her physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual needs with NO strings attached.

Note 'with NO strings attached'. Until Jesus Christ came unto the scene, Agape LOVE was not known. It was, 'One good turn deserves another and 'An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.' Giving is so powerful to the extent that some women think when a man gives her a gift it means he loves her and a such she must give back in kind. That's no giving. It is premised on the idiomatic expression 'one good turn deserves another' or you face it's counterpart 'An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth'.

Bible says 'Blessed are the merciful for they will 'be shown mercy.' - Mathew 5:7. Blessed has a generic meaning as 'happy or joy', whilst to be merciful is to show forgiveness and compassion to those in need. God's mercy He showed towards us, is the withholding of a just punishment. He gave without expecting anything from us. Agape LOVE therefore means to show mercy or mercy giving: you give to the opposite sex without strings attached or conditionalities.

John said the world hates us because they do not know us, that we are the children of God. They see us as sycophants who are being misled.

We have everlasting life now and here on earth. We are not going to go into it at the physical death. NOW are we sons; not that we shall be sons. We are citizens of heaven on earth. Mind you, those who have not accepted Christ Jesus and His offer of life eternal also have eternal existence. The difference is, you will spend yours in hell with the devil and his cohorts. So, the good news is that, you can and must secure your external destination NOW on earth whilst you are still alive, by just believing and confessing Christ Jesus as your personal Lord and Saviour. For God so LOVE the world that He GAVE His ONLY BEGOTTEN SON that whosoever beliveth in Him, will not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16

John said although we know who we are now we do not know who we shall be like. But one thing is certain; We know that He shall appear and the expectations are that WE SHALL BE LIKE HIM because we shall see Him as He is. So, we can only imagine but cannot really appreciate the glory we are going into. Paul said in Romans 8:18 that, 'I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. Verse 19 says, 'For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed.' Glory to God! We are here with them but they do not know who we are just as Christ Jesus walked this earth but the world did not know Him. They are expecting us to be revealed but it shall be a surprise. As even we ourselves cannot perceive what we shall be like.

Reach out during this Christmas and embrace someone with LOVE and GIFTS just as God embraced you and gave you sonship (generic) and an expected glorified body and personality.