by Dr. Charles Stanley
Many people simply can't believe that the Lord loves them. Others
believe that He loves them, but only when they are pleasing Him in some
way. Why is it so hard for us to accept His unconditional love?
One reason is that we have a hard time loving others without condition.
We might say the words "I love you" to our spouse, children, friends,
co-workers, or fellow believers but all too often are calculating in our
mind whether or not they've lived up to our standard. We sometimes
excuse ourselves from loving certain people because their behavior
upsets or annoys us. The fact that we place restrictions on extending favor causes us to wrongly assume that the Lord does likewise.
Another reason is poor self-image. Considering ourselves unworthy, we
refuse to accept God's love. You know what? None of us are worthy of the
heavenly Father's goodness and mercy—so you can let go of that excuse
once and for all. We're not coming to Him based on our worth. Rather,
we're coming to Him based on His grace, and our position is secure in
Christ. To put yourself down as "beneath His grace" is to trample on His
loving, generous gift. God arranged an awesome divine way for us to be
reconciled to Him, and His greatest desire is for relationship with each
of us.
If you feel unloved or struggle to accept yourself, ask the Holy Spirit
to reveal the truth of our heavenly Father's love for you—and to sink
it deep into your heart. Receive the truth that He reveals. It will be a
completely different story about your value as an individual.
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