Devotional 01-16-2022

Letting God Love Us

If you were asked what you believed your greatest need was, how would you answer? Many people would undoubtedly respond by mentioning their health problems, struggles with sin, or relationship issues. While all these issues seemingly require different treatments, there is one unspeakably powerful, yet rarely accepted source that has the power to address all mankind's greatest needs.

This source, as the Scriptures reveal, is the love of God, which is the only force that can truly address the root of mankind's every need. Unfortunately, despite the forgiveness, comfort, hope, and strength His love provides, many people continually reject it because they do not understand God's nature and the root issues behind their needs. Thankfully, the Scriptures provide powerful truths that can thoroughly dismantle our misconceptions and allow us to humbly let God love us as we are. Among these truths are:

God's love came first. In 1 John 4:10, we read that God does not love us because we showed Him love first, but that He loved us first without us doing anything to earn it. Furthermore, despite standing guilty before Him in sin, Romans 5:8 and Ephesians 2:4-5 state that God still possesses great mercy and love for us. Thus, we can take comfort in knowing that God's love is not something we must earn, but simply receive in simple, sincere faith.
God's love shows no favoritism. When reading Romans 3:23, 6:23; and Genesis 2:17, we learn that all humanity suffers from a state of separation from God due to sin killing our spirits, making us stand guilty before Him, and condemning us to eternal punishment. These issues, caused by the rebellion of Adam and Eve, are the root cause of the innumerable issues in our fallen world, including illnesses, broken relationships, and the many sinful desires and behaviors of this world. Because all humanity inherited these issues and equally stand guilty before God, His love is also equally available to all who request it.
God's love drove Him to save us. Thankfully, humanity's great need for reconciliation and forgiveness is where God's love shines its brightest. As John 3:16 and 1 John 4:10 share, God loved us so much that despite our unworthiness, He sent His Son to establish the perfect solution. Through Christ paying for our sins through His death and creating the way for mankind to receive salvation from sin's condemnation, we can receive God's love and forgiveness through simply accepting this free gift through simple, sincere faith.
God's love creates true change. Despite the facts listed above, many people believe they must fix themselves or make themselves right before receiving God's love. However, such was never His intention, for Ephesians 2:1-6 reminds us that despite our sinfulness, He showed us mercy through Christ offering us salvation via grace through faith rather than requiring us to earn it through works. Because He knew we could never change or save ourselves, God's love made a way for us to receive true change through His healing grace, divine wisdom, and obedience to Him.

Although the greatest force of change and healing is readily available to all who request it, many people unfortunately choose to face their many problems in their own strength, only to struggle and suffer great discouragement and fatigue. Fortunately, this needless striving can be easily avoided by accepting God's boundless love for us, which becomes significantly easier when we understand that His love came before ours, is equally accessible to all, and led Him to initiate a reckless rescue plan for us. It is through accepting His salvation and letting Him love us as we are that we can receive the power to overcome destructive sins, alter damaging attitudes, and move past painful memories.

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