The most difficult thing for me to understand early in my faith walk was GOD’S UNCONDITIONAL LOVE…for ME. Yes, me. But it did NOT make sense. I was a corporate CEO at the time and living in a world of CONDITIONS. Relational conditions. Employment conditions. Behavioral conditions. There are conditions built into everything in this life on planet earth that usually take one of two forms:
- Go ahead, BUT remember that…
- I will do this , IF you…
But all of that is blown up by God loving us “JUST AS WE ARE.” In fact, God loved us enough to die for us even as we were rebelling against him (Romans 5:8).
It was one of the turning points in my life when I realized that God loves me and wants to have a relationship with me…WITHOUT conditions and no matter how much I had messed up.
That’s when I began to differentiate God’s perfect, UNCONDITIONAL love from man’s cynical, CONDITIONAL love.
MAN’s LOVE is based on personal feelings and is judgment-based to only love certain people. It may be viewed as true love, but it is anything but unconditional.
GOD’s LOVE is unconditional and forgiving no matter what we do—in good times and hard times. When we are bathed in light and when we descend into the depths of darkness.
“But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.” Ephesians 2:4-5
God’s love for us NEVER changes because it was proven on the cross where his one and only son was sacrificed for us (Romans 8:38-39).
So why is God’s unconditional love for us one of the most underappreciated and under-claimed of God’s PROMISES? Because even though our greatest need is to be loved unconditionally, it seems so IMPROBABLE.
But we need to fight through that barrier because God wants us to be inspired by his love so we become ever-more mature in our faith. So we can touch others with God’s love. So we can leave a deep impression on this earth and God’s Kingdom.
I ask God to help me claim and believe his promise to love me unconditionally, especially when my life is assailed. When that happens, I look for the Holy Spirit to intervene on my behalf.
“But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” Romans 5:8
WHAT ABOUT YOU?
Have you fully embraced the depth of God’s promise to love you unconditionally? Are you sure? Remember, it is IMPOSSIBLE to remind yourself of this truth too many times.
“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39
