A friend asked me to share my favourite bible verse is and God actually started revealing more about it as I wrote my response. As such it got a little long for facebook, so I decided to place it here.

The verse that springs to mind at the moment is 1 John 3:1(a) (yes, it’s only half a verse…If Jesus can do it so can I). From the NLT it reads,

“See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are!” –1 John 3:1a, NLT

It’s a verse that has become more than a quaint phrase heard from the pulpit, or glossed over in my readings. It’s a living and growing revelation of late, especially in light of being a father.

What really strikes me about this passage is the immense depth of truth and promises that it contains! If people could understand the depth of that passage, what a different world it would be! I still struggle coming to grips with this in my life, but I’m getting there.

I have an amazing dad. He is a great man of God and a remarkable example of what it means to be a man today; to love his wife, to love his kids and to love his God, to help those around us, to be humble and patient, to forgive, and to be generous. I would be proud to be like my Dad, yet I desire more.

God is better than any earthly Father. He cares so much that he gave Jesus to be crucified so that we could have a relationship (John 3:16). He knows the desires of my heart better than anyone (Matthew 6:8), yet also knows what I can and can’t handle (2 Peter 3:9). He yearns to spend time with me and show me wonderful new things about Himself (Jeremiah 33:3), He wants to hear about my day and my thoughts (Isaiah 1:18a) . He wants to heal my heart when it’s heavy and dry my tears(Revelation 21:4). He wants to share my laughs and joy and walk through life with me, blessing me beyond anything I could imagine(Ephesians 1:3, Psalms 31:9). He wants … me; The Creator of the universe, my Father, wants to be with me.

But that’s not all! We are son’s and daughters of The One True God. If we think about that a bit longer and, for lack of a better analogy, draw parallels to royalty in our society; what does that mean for us? Do the heirs of these kingdoms carry authority? Do we carry authority from Heaven? (Acts 1:8)

The answer is YES! We have a right to ask for Him to move on earth, and be his ambassadors. We have the power (through Holy Spirit) to carry out His will and His heart in our lives daily. We are showing God’s kingdom wherever we go. Dwell on that for a moment.

In your house, if something is broken, or out of place do you wait for someone else to tell you that you can go fix it? Why should we wait for God to tell us to fix something that is burdening our hearts, and within our power to fix? Does someone need prayer? You can pray for them, but what’s more you can pray with the authority of God and see that prayer come to fruition! The more time you spend with God, learning His heart, the more you’ll be able to see the needs around you, and His desire for other’s circumstances.

I’m not saying life will be easy though, Jesus actually promises this (Read the new testament books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John!). Also, remember that the bible clearly states that our hope is seen as “foolishness” to the world. You will still face life struggles.

I personally struggle with depression from time to time, yet my Father promises true deep joy. I struggle with doubt that God would do something, yet my Father made everything, from the galaxies to the subatomic particles that they comprise of. All so that we would be able to explore and find him in the secret places (FIY, He’s playing hide and seek with us!)

I still have a lot to learn regarding who I am in God, and who God is. But I’ve got a great teacher (1 John 2:26-27), and patient Father and King to help me, not to mention my church family and friends. So as I keep living my life trying to find Him in the secret places, I’ll keep trying to live with the revelation that I am a child of God.