“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!”
1 John 3:1a
Philip Yancey has been proclaiming the message of grace for decades (especially in his 1997 book What’s So Amazing About Grace?). He pleads with those who follow Jesus to understand, receive, and bestow on others the beautiful, amazing grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. Growing up in a fundamental denomination, he did not witness or experience this element of the gospel. Eventually, he experienced a transformative change that gave him a biblical perspective. His writings ask, “How are we doing at lavishing grace on a world that knows far more about cruelty and holding grudges than it does of mercy?”
Everything changes when we’re adopted into the family of God. We’re cleansed, made holy, and called to live under the banner of His love.
I grew up in a church environment similar to Yancey’s and have struggled to fully comprehend and live out this glorious truth. The word “lavished” indicates goodness that is unmeasured, unearned, and freely given. We want to remember that Jesus says, “Freely have you received, freely give” (Matthew 10:8b).
Everything changes when we’re adopted into the family of God. We’re cleansed, made holy, and called to live under the banner of His love.
I grew up in a church environment similar to Yancey’s and have struggled to fully comprehend and live out this glorious truth. The word “lavished” indicates goodness that is unmeasured, unearned, and freely given. We want to remember that Jesus says, “Freely have you received, freely give” (Matthew 10:8b).
Scripture Focus
1 John 3:1-3
Insight
“No one who meets Jesus ever stays the same.” (Philip Yancey, 1995)
Bible In A Year
- 2 Kings 15-16
- Proverbs 18
- 1 John 1-2
