When I was a child it never occurred to me to question my worthiness to receive my parents' love. They were supposed to love me; I was their daughter, right? I didn't have to earn their love, and nothing I ever did would stop them from loving me. I was worthy of their love simply because I was their daughter. In a sense, they made me, so they loved me. I have done my best to instill that same knowledge in my own children, that they are loved just because they exist and are my offspring. They have me and their dad in their make-up. When I look at them, I see bits of me and bits of him mixed in, with their own, unique personalities. If I were to dislike them, I would have to dislike myself and my husband, too.
It makes me think about God's love for us. So often I have heard believers say they are unworthy of God's love because they are awful, dirty sinners. As a parent myself, I can only imagine the grief He must feel to hear His children say that. You see, love isn't something that we earn because of our works. Just as a natural parent instinctively loves their child because of who they are, God loves His children. He looks at man and sees our potential and the destiny He desires for us:
Genesis 1:27- "So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him;
male and female He created them."
Jeremiah 29:11- "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts
of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope."
He sees His own image when He looks at us (just as our children are made in our image, with our DNA). In fact, He loved all of us before we loved Him, before we could even be His children. That's why He sent Jesus to save us and restore us. It was always God's intention to walk with man as demonstrated in His relationship with Adam. When Adam fell, it wasn't a surprise to God. He knew all along that Adam would sin. God had a plan in place (Jesus) to restore mankind to our position as His children, to restore relationship, because He loved us. He loved us from the very start, and that love didn't change just because we sinned! If He denied His children, He would have to deny Himself. If He hated us, He would have to hate Himself.
I John 4:19- "We love Him because He first loved us."
Romans 5:8- "But God demonstrated His own love toward us, in that while we were still
sinners, Christ died for us."
Genesis 3:15- "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed
and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel." (a prophecy to
Satan about the future coming of Christ, His crucifixion, and resurrection)
John 1:12-13- "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children
of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the
flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God."
Galatians 4:4-7- 'But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born
of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might
receive the adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of
His Son into your hearts, crying out, "Abba, Father!" Therefore, you are no longer a slave
but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.'
The state of being worthy or deserving, based on our actions or thoughts, doesn't have anything at all to do with being loved by God, just as our children's actions and thoughts do not determine our love for them. We love our children irrelevant of their actions. If we at any time start to think that we can do something either to earn or take away God's love for us based on any actions, we demonstrate a lack of understanding of His love.
Romans 8:38-39- "For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor
principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor
any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ
Jesus our Lord."
As we go through our day today, let us not focus on all the bad we see in ourselves, thinking that we are unworthy and don't deserve love. The very nature of love has nothing whatsoever to do with our actions. We are loved, simply because we are.
In Christ,
Lori
Genesis 1:27- "So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him;
male and female He created them."
Jeremiah 29:11- "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts
of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope."
He sees His own image when He looks at us (just as our children are made in our image, with our DNA). In fact, He loved all of us before we loved Him, before we could even be His children. That's why He sent Jesus to save us and restore us. It was always God's intention to walk with man as demonstrated in His relationship with Adam. When Adam fell, it wasn't a surprise to God. He knew all along that Adam would sin. God had a plan in place (Jesus) to restore mankind to our position as His children, to restore relationship, because He loved us. He loved us from the very start, and that love didn't change just because we sinned! If He denied His children, He would have to deny Himself. If He hated us, He would have to hate Himself.
I John 4:19- "We love Him because He first loved us."
Romans 5:8- "But God demonstrated His own love toward us, in that while we were still
sinners, Christ died for us."
Genesis 3:15- "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed
and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel." (a prophecy to
Satan about the future coming of Christ, His crucifixion, and resurrection)
John 1:12-13- "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children
of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the
flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God."
Galatians 4:4-7- 'But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born
of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might
receive the adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of
His Son into your hearts, crying out, "Abba, Father!" Therefore, you are no longer a slave
but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.'
The state of being worthy or deserving, based on our actions or thoughts, doesn't have anything at all to do with being loved by God, just as our children's actions and thoughts do not determine our love for them. We love our children irrelevant of their actions. If we at any time start to think that we can do something either to earn or take away God's love for us based on any actions, we demonstrate a lack of understanding of His love.
Romans 8:38-39- "For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor
principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor
any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ
Jesus our Lord."
As we go through our day today, let us not focus on all the bad we see in ourselves, thinking that we are unworthy and don't deserve love. The very nature of love has nothing whatsoever to do with our actions. We are loved, simply because we are.
In Christ,
Lori
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