Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me.
John 8:42

A common misunderstanding is that all human beings are children of God, as though being created by God makes one a child of God. It does not. Only those who believe or trust in Christ alone for salvation from sin are children of God (John 1:12).*

And according to Jesus in John 8:42, those who are children of God love Jesus. Conversely, those who do not love Jesus are not children of God.

Let us examine our hearts and lives regarding our love for Jesus. No one loves Jesus perfectly, but the children of God do love Him pervasively. Let us grow in our love for Jesus by meditating on His love for us. As we understand His vast and measureless love for us, how can we not love Him more and more in return?

Let us pray for people we know who profess love for Jesus, yet seem to love the world more than they love Him. May God either reveal to them that they have not received Christ and need to, or that they too need to grow in their love for Christ.

* Jesus spoke of people being our neighbors or our brothers and sisters. Neighbors are all people around us who are not our brothers or sisters. Brothers and sisters are those who, with us, are children of God.