Guest poster, Elisabeth Corcoran, author of the new book, He Is Just That Into You:
How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God. I John 3:1a
This is the kind of verse that makes me sigh, in a good, deep way.
How great is the love. It is huge, it is wide, is in matchless, it is unmistakable, it is powerful, it is fearless, it is pursuing, it is relentless, it is freeing.
The Father. Abba. Daddy. Heavenly, divine, otherworldy. Won’t let us down. Won’t walk away. Won’t say harsh words. Won’t withhold love.
Has lavished. The word lavish conjures up luxury to me, abundance, more than enough, overflowing, without holding back, more than we’ll ever need or really know what to do with.
On us. You. Me. The person we can’t stand. The person who killed someone. The person who hates someone. Every single one of us.
That we should be called. Purposed. Destined. Set apart. Designated. Labeled. Claimed.
Children of God. Taken care of, provided for, thought about, protected, taught, disciplined, doted on, loved.
Lord, thank You for this lavish love, for calling us to Yourself. Help us live in this Truth today…that we are Yours alone. Amen.
© 2009 Elisabeth K. Corcoran
Elisabeth lives with her husband, Kevin, and middle-school children, Sara and Jack, in Elburn, Illinois. She is the author of He Is Just That Into You, a collection of essays about God’s faithfulness and love; the devotionals, In Search of Calm and Calm in My Chaos; and the monthly column, “Moments for Mom”. After ten years of leading Women’s Ministry and four years on staff at Christ Community Church, she devotes her time to speaking and writing, along with her passions of social justice and AIDS, which she engages in through her connections with Open Door Clinic and her church’s partnerships in Africa.