We must get comfortable with the thought that we are loved unconditionally and in right standing with God-not because of what we have or haven’t done, but because of what Jesus did for us. Our experiences in the world and with people have told us we cannot be accepted apart from “performing” well in life and that our performances determine how much acceptance we receive. We have been deceived into believing that what we do is more important than who we are. This leaves us constantly working to prove to ourselves and others that we have value by what we do.
As long as we think God’s love is conditional, we will keep trying to earn it by attempting to prove that we are worth loving. When we make mistakes, then we feel we are no longer valuable and therefore do not deserve love. We suffer the guilt, shame, and condemnation of believing we are not lovable and should be rejected. We keep trying harder and harder until sometimes we are exhausted mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and even physically. We try to keep up a good front, but inside we are weary and often very afraid.
Once we believe God’s love is based on Who He is and what Jesus has done, and not on what we do, the struggle is over. Now we can cancel our “performance” and serve God because we know that He does love us and we do not need to “get” Him to love us. We already know we have His love and that under no condition will He ever stop loving us. We no longer have to live in fear of being rejected by Him because of our mistakes. When we do something wrong, all we need to do is repent and receive God’s forgiveness and refuse the guilt that comes with sin, but is no longer applicable when sin is forgiven and removed.
I used to think almost constantly, What is wrong with me? I don’t think that way now. I still do things that are wrong, but I have learned the difference between my “who” and my “do.” I urge you today to understand that you are not your performance; your “who” and your “do” are separate. God loves you because of your “who”! He loves you because you are His child. Is God ever displeased with us? Yes, He is displeased when we sin (this is our “do,” not our “who”) and He loves us enough to correct us and continue working with us to bring us into better and more godly behavior (see Hebrews 12:10). We are destined by God to be molded into the image of Jesus Christ (see Romans 8:29), and I am grateful that He has sent His Holy Spirit to convict us of sin and to work God’s holiness in and through us. This is a work of God’s grace and it takes place little by little as we study God’s Word (see 2 Corinthians 3:18).
There are certainly times when God is displeased with our behavior, but He always loves us. Don’t let anything separate you from the love of God because the knowledge that He loves you enables you to be more than a conqueror in life.
An important verse to understand as we learn to believe we are loved and in right standing with God is 2 Corinthians 5:21: “For our sake He made Christ [virtually] to be sin Who knew no sin, so that in and through Him we might become [endued with, viewed as being in, and examples of] the righteousness of God [what we ought to be, approved and acceptable and in right relationship with Him, by His goodness].”
Knowing we are loved and accepted even in our imperfection is such a relief! Serving God from desire rather than obligation is incredibly liberating and brings great peace and joy to our lives. The Bible says that we love Him because He first loved us (see 1 John 4:19). Being assured of God’s unconditional love gives us confidence and boldness.
Our confidence should not be in anything or anyone but Jesus-not in education, outward privilege, positions we hold, people we know, how we look, or our gifts and talents. Everything in this world is shaky at best and we should not place our confidence in it. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever (see Hebrews 13:8). We can count on Him to always be faithful and do what He says He will do-and He says He will always love us. He says we are righteous in His sight and we need to make a decision to simply believe it.
We become what we believe we are; therefore, as we become convinced that we are right with God, our behavior will improve. We will do more things right and with less effort. As we focus on our relationship with God rather than our performance, we relax and what God has done in our spirit when we were born again is gradually worked out in our souls and finally seen through our daily life. No matter what other people may have told you that you are not, God delights in telling you in His Word who you are in Him-loved, valuable, precious, talented, gifted, capable, powerful, wise, and redeemed. I encourage you to take a moment and repeat those nine things out loud. Say, “I am loved, valuable, precious, talented, gifted, capable, powerful, wise, and redeemed.” He has a good plan for you! Get excited about your life. You are created in God’s image and you are amazing! You may still be working on your “do,” (that’s part of being human) but your “who” is awesome!
Think about It
Do you believe God loves you unconditionally?
Take a piece of paper and draw a line down the center of it. On one side of the line, write “Who” and on the other side, write “Do.” Begin to list different aspects of who you are according to God’s word under “Who,” and under “Do” you can list things you do right and things you do wrong. This will help you separate your “who” and your “do.” Now cross out the “do” section because it has nothing to do with God’s love for you anyway. No matter how many right things you have listed, you can never do enough to deserve God’s love, and no matter how many wrong things you have listed on your sheet of paper, they cannot prevent God from loving you forever.
