Southland Students - Friday
1 John 3:1a
See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! (NIV)
Growing up, I had many classmates who would do whatever they could to get the teacher off topic. I was the shy girl who sat in the back of the room wondering why they couldn’t just sit still and be quiet! I had learned that adults in my life liked the people who were good. I understood—nobody wanted bad behavior. As time went on, those rowdy kids didn’t learn better behavior; they just had better strategies. But it made me feel great when the teacher praised those of us who were behaving correctly. Her words made me feel wanted and appreciated. And who doesn’t want to feel that way?
But the sense of pressure to perform can be destructive. It can lead us to believe that we are only loved for the things we do and how we act, not for who we are. We will be loved more if we make life easier for the people around us. As long as we hide our mistakes. As long as we’re not an inconvenience to anyone. Then, we earn the right to belong.
That’s the problem with transactional love—it’s attained as long as we do our part. But the truth is, God already did our part. He says we’re loved and we belong because we are His children. He says that it doesn’t matter how we perform—we’re loved no matter what. He’s not keeping count of our mistakes because they’ve already been nailed to the cross with Jesus.
In the words of Bob Goff, “God doesn’t want us to just behave better; He wants us to be His.” God says our debt is paid. He doesn’t care how badly we’ve messed up; He says we are His and we are worthy. So let’s live like it.
Friday’s Reflection
Write down three things you have the freedom to do because you are a child of God.