Berean Standard Bible
But to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God—
To the beloved children of God, gathered in spirit across nations and generations,
Grace and peace be multiplied to you through the matchless love and immeasurable mercy of our Lord. May the light of His truth guide your hearts, and may the power of His promises embolden your faith.
I write to you, dear brethren, with an urgency of heart and a joy that springs from the fountain of the Word, who was from the beginning with God and was God Himself. Today, I urge you to meditate deeply on the profound promise revealed in John 1:12: "Yet to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God."
Consider the riches of this truth, beloved. Here, we find the essence of grace—a gift freely given, not by merit of works nor by inheritance of blood, but by the boundless favor of the Creator to the creation. It is not to the mighty, nor the wise, nor the esteemed that this right is given, but to the humble and believing heart that receives Him. To "receive Him" is no mere act of acknowledgment; it is an embrace of the living Christ—a yielding of one's soul to His authority, His love, and His lordship.
What glorious news this is, that we who were once strangers and wanderers, lost in the shadows of sin, are now invited into the household of God. No longer are we bound by the chains of alienation; no longer do we tremble as orphans in the storm. Through belief in His name—the name that is above every name, the name of Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world—we are made children of the Most High. We are not merely servants in His kingdom but sons and daughters, heirs of His promises, co-heirs with Christ.
Oh, the wondrous privilege it is to call the Almighty our Father! And as children of God, we are called to walk in the light, as He is in the light. We are beckoned to live as reflections of His love, vessels of His grace, and ambassadors of His truth in a world shrouded in darkness. Let us not take this identity lightly, for it carries with it both the seal of divine favor and the charge of holy purpose.
Beloved, let us therefore examine our hearts. Have we truly received Him? Do we walk in the fullness of this truth, or do we cling to the vestiges of fear and doubt that once defined our separation from Him? Let us remember that this sonship is not a temporary or conditional status; it is an eternal covenant, sealed by the blood of the Lamb and upheld by the faithfulness of God.
Take courage, children of the Most High, for the enemy would seek to make you forget your identity. He would sow lies to make you believe that you are unworthy, unloved, and incapable of living as heirs of the kingdom. But the truth remains: "To all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God." Stand firm in this truth. Declare it boldly. Live it joyfully.
In the days to come, may you grow ever deeper in your understanding of what it means to be called His child. May your life be a living testament to the power of His grace, and may your fellowship with one another reflect the unity and love of His family. For this is our inheritance: not wealth or power as the world defines it, but the inexhaustible riches of His presence and the unfathomable joy of knowing Him.
Now to Him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy—to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power, and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore. Amen.