Welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread.

My name is Mike Whitmer, and I entitled today's reading,

Welcomeed Home by God.

After Sherman Smith recruited Deland McCullough to play American football for Miami University,

he grew to love him and became the father Deland never had.

Deland had great admiration for Sherman and aimed to become the man he was.

Decades later, when Deland tracked down his birth mom, she shocked him with the news.

Your father's name is Sherman Smith.

Yes, that Sherman Smith.

Coach Smith was stunned to learn he had a son,

and Deland was stunned that his father figure was literally his father. The next time they met, Sherman hugged Deland and said, My son. Deland had never heard that from a father. He knew Sherman was saying it

from a place of, I'm proud, this is my son. And he was overwhelmed. We too should be overwhelmed by the perfect love

of our heavenly father. John writes in 1 John chapter 3, see what great love the father has lavished on us,

that we should be called children of God.

We're as dumbfounded as Deland,

who didn't dare think someone like Sherman could be his dad.

Is it really true?

John insists, yes, that is what we are.

If you believe in Jesus, his father is also your dad. You may feel orphaned, alone in the world.

But the truth is, you have a father, the only perfect one. And he's proud to call you his child. Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is from 1 John

3, verses 1 through 3.

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God.

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