In 1 John 3:1 John issues an instruction to stop and behold the manner of love that the Father has for us. Often, we find ourselves motoring through life focused on attaining our goals which can lead us to forgetting that God has called us His children. It is particularly fitting at such times to stop and take on board John’s instruction to see how great a love the Father has bestowed on us.

Today I want to take on board John’s exhortation and pause and to consider what does it mean to be called a child of God? And how did I, or how can I become a child of God?

We all believe different truths. Some us believe in absolute truth, others believe that there is no such thing and all truths are relative. What is true for one person is not true for another. The Bible teaches there is absolute truth, that is universally true, even if it is not universally accepted.

The question becomes, is the Bible actually true and can we trust the truths about Jesus and God that it proclaims.

In 1 John 1, John addresses this issue, stating that he was one of many eyewitnesses who personally witnessed the ministry of Jesus, and were convinced by His actions that he was the Son of God.

From birth we have probably been taught that we get what we deserve, or that we have to work hard to achieve success in this life.In Philippians 2 Paul provides an impressive list of his manyachievements in life, a resume that he could be proud off, with a trophy cabinet probably swelling with many great trophies.Yet he makes that stunning statement that since he met Jesus, he now considers all his many achievements, his efforts at self‑righteousness as nothing, in fact he compares them to excrement!Why can Paul say this? Simply because he has come tounderstand that true righteousness is the free gift of God, given solely by God’s mercy, in response to our faith alone in Jesus as the Christ alone.