Changed and Changing

1 John        3:1

1 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.

Think how much the Father loves us. He loves us so much that he lets us be called his children, as we truly are. But since the people of this world did not know who Christ is, they don’t know who we are.

Ephesians 1:3

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: 

3 Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ for the spiritual blessings that Christ has brought us from heaven!

4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:

4 Before the world was created, God had Christ choose us to live with him and to be his holy and innocent and loving people.

5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,

5 God was kind  and decided that Christ would choose us to be God’s own adopted children. 

6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.



 6 God was very kind to us because of the Son he dearly loves, and so we should praise God.



1 John 3:2

2 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.

2 My dear friends, we are already God’s children, though what we will be hasn’t yet been seen. But we do know that when Christ returns, we will be like him, because we will see him as he truly is. 

2 Peter 1:4

4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

4 God made great and marvelous promises, so that his nature would become part of us. Then we could escape our evil desires and the corrupt influences of this world.

1 John 3:3

3 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

3 This hope makes us keep ourselves holy, just as Christ is holy.

Moral and ethical wholeness or perfection; freedom from moral evil.

Philippians 3:12-14

12 Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.

12 I have not yet reached my goal, and I am not perfect. But Christ has taken hold of me. So I keep on running and struggling to take hold of the prize.

13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,

13 My friends, I don’t feel that I have already arrived. But I forget what is behind, and I struggle for what is ahead.

14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

14 I run toward the goal, so that I can win the prize of being called to heaven. This is the prize that God offers because of what Christ Jesus has done.