See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. (1 John 3:1 ESV)

Do we fully understand the love of God and the great lengths he goes to aggressively pursue us? We are his most prized creation, made in his image, and he wants nothing more than to love and protect his children. To those who respond by placing their trust and faith in him, he calls his own, each being identified as a child of God.

Many of us delight in belonging to a community. We proudly claim our allegiance to countries, schools, companies, or sports teams. These affiliations provide us with a sense of pride, and they may come with special perks and privileges. However, to be known as child of God is worth so much more than any these things. It is not a religion, lifestyle, or philosophy; it is our true identity where only Jesus can affirm us when we follow him.

God’s love is unconditional, and it is characterized by his patience, understanding, and many second chances. He is a jealous God because he wants nothing but heaven’s best for us. So he fights to win us back, to save our souls from a deceptive scheme to keep us away from him, even if it means dishing out a form of discipline to regain our attention. “For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives” (Hebrews 12:6 ESV).

God’s love is perfect and immutable, and we can only learn to treasure and appreciate it by recognizing all the grace and blessings he has given us even while we were sinners. An exercise in reflecting where the Lord has intervened in our lives will hopefully move us to want more of him.