Lavished Love

“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!” (1 John 3:1 NIV)

As I looked for a “love” verse to send to my grandchildren this morning, I chose the above verse from 1 John. What a reminder of the greatest love one can know and the greatest measure of love one can know. The word “lavished” is translated “given” or “bestowed” in other translations, but I like lavished. It reminds me of when children are allowed to pour syrup over their pancake, they usually pour a lot! They lavishly cover that pancake until it floats in the syrup!

Isn’t that what God does for us? He not only loves us unconditionally, but he loves us abundantly. God, the Creator, became God, the Savior. Our rebellion didn’t stop His love, but our repentance enables us to experience His love. Our obedience makes us His child. It is my prayer you are a child of God. He longs for everyone to become His child. We can love Him because He first loved us. If you, like me, received no Valentines today, don’t despair. Read the book of First John. It is a Valentine from the heart of God through the words written by the Apostle John.

Happy Valentine’s Day!