1 John 3:1-3---Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it 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. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.
You can't see the greatness of this love unless you see how depraved man is in contrast to how holy and good God is. It is only in the contrast that the enormity of love is realized. Have you seen parents that patiently endure the destructive time of experimentation that their teenager goes through? They take care of the child's every need, love and nurture them through the years and are paid back by rebellion. Now multiply that love to an infinite degree, and multiply the rebellion to the end of your imagination, and you might come somewhere close to understanding how great is the love the Father has lavished on us. He loves us so much that He will see us through until we are transformed into His likeness. The work is in process today, but it will culminate when your eyes behold Him. You won't have to use your imagination any longer. You will see Him as He is. The very sight of Him will transform you. The caterpillar will emerge from his cocoon and spread his wings and fly. What do we do with this amazing hope? We purify ourselves even as He is pure. We set aside the desires for worldly things, and focus on this transformation. Though we know we will not break free from the cocoon until our eyes behold Him, we allow His transforming work to continue in us daily.
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