To this John replied, “A person can receive only what is given them from heaven. (John 3:27 NIV)

These words are said by John the Baptist about Jesus. It is clear that he recognises Jesus as receiving something unique from Heaven. In fact, the word 'give' is used 76 times in John's gospel and it mainly refers to the things the Father has given to Jesus. 

This verse is also an encouragement for us. What have we been given from Heaven? What are the unique things that the Father is giving to us? I believe this is another interpretation of the Lord's prayer where Jesus says "your Kingdom come, your will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven". What little bit of Heaven is the Father giving you to bring to earth today?

The other important word I want to draw out of this verse is 'receive'. A man can only receive what is given from Heaven. It doesn't say 'a man can only do what is given from Heaven'. We can do a lot of things but do we receive them?

There is a big difference between receiving and doing. One is a gift, the other self-generated. One is done through the strength and ability of another, the other is done in our own strength. One is fruitful, the other can be performance. 

Receiving is taking ownership of a gift that comes from another. We receive a gift that was birthed in the Father's heart and as we receive it, we take it into our own heart. It becomes part of us. When we receive a gift from Heaven it will bring fruit and joy.

And so today, I encourage you to ask; "what have I been given from Heaven?"

I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. (Ephesians 1:17-19 NIV)

These are very familiar verses and, whilst familiar, it is easy to miss what they are really saying. And so, I'd like to take a few moments to remind us of the depth of truth and revelation these few sentences contain. 

First of all, and Paul emphasises this, God is revealed as being the glorious Father. This God whom we love and worship is our Glorious Father, just as he is the Father of Jesus. That emphasis is not accidental, it is a deliberate reminder for us of who God really is, he is our Father. 

Then we read of a gift. A gift we are given. A gift given by the Father. He gives us the very thing we need to enable us to see who he is. We are given a spirit of wisdom and revelation which allows us to change our perception of who God is. Wisdom is often personified in the person of Jesus and revelation comes to us by and through the Holy Spirit. Here we have the other members of the Trinity helping us to see that God is our real Father. 

Paul's prayer is that we would come to know the Father and then get to know him better. A growing revelation and experience of who the Father is and who he wants to be to us. This revelation leads to the eyes of our heart being opened so we see him and so we also see who we really are. We come into a greater understanding of who we have been called to be (sons and daughters) and as we live in sonship so we discover the inheritance the Father has given us in Christ.

In fact, this all originates in the heart of the Father. At the start of the chapter we read why God wants us to see who he is and who we are:
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The Father has blessed us with with every spiritual blessing. 
The Father chose us before the creation of the world. 
The Father gives us the full rights of sonship. 
The Father made it possible for our sins to be forgiven through Jesus.
The Father made known to us the mystery of his will. 
Through Jesus, the Father gives us an inheritance. 

It's no wonder he wants us to know who he is when there's so much he wants to give us! 

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They will come and shout for joy on the heights of Zion; they will rejoice in the bounty of the Lord - the grain, the new wine and the olive oil, the young of the flocks and herds. They will be like a well-watered garden, and they will sorrow no more. Then young women will dance and be glad, young men and old as well. I will turn their mourning into gladness; I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow. 
"So there is hope for your descendants,” declares the Lord. “Your children will return to their own land." (Jeremiah 31:13,17 NIV)

The eternal love of the Father not only restores us and brings us home but it is also a comforting love. 

When we live without comfort it's a very barren place. Our heart is empty as it feels like everything we had has run out. As we are comforted the emptiness we feel is transformed. Our mourning is turned into gladness, our sorrow into joy. Strength and energy begin to return to our heart. 

Without comfort there is hopelessness. In coming to our Father and letting his eternal love comfort us, we discover that our future has hope. Not only hope for us but for our descendants as well. A fruitful life is restored. He has good plans for us (Jer 29:11). 

The covenant of eternal love reinforces and restates the relationship we have with the Father. 

I will be their God, and they will be my people. (Jeremiah 31:33) or as we read in the New Testament:

I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty. (2 Cor 6:18)

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See, I will bring them from the land of the north and gather them from the ends of the earth. Among them will be the blind and the lame, expectant mothers and women in labour; a great throng will return. They will come with weeping; they will pray as I bring them back. I will lead them beside streams of water on a level path where they will not stumble, because I am Israel’s father, and Ephraim is my firstborn son. (Jeremiah 31:8-9 NIV)

We are loved with an everlasting love and last week we saw how that love restores and brings fruitfulness. Today we see how this extravagant love brings us home. 

The love of the Father goes to the ends of the earth in order to seek us out, gather us and bring us back to the loving embrace of the Father. There is nowhere we can hide. The Father wants a family and he does everything to bring us into that family, in order that we can know we are his sons and daughters. Home is very important; it is the place of belonging, identity and security. It is the place where we can be ourselves, letting go of any pretence and just being. 

Everyone is welcome. There are no exclusions - all may come. The poor and needy are especially welcome and if we're honest, that's all of us. To pretend otherwise is simply us hiding behind our veneer of pride and self-sufficiency. 

Home is beside streams of living water which always speak to us of life. When we come home into the embrace of the Father we find life and, as Jesus said, it's life in all its fullness.