We Can’t Earn God’s Love
Imagine you have a great emotional reservoir inside you the shape of a heart. And imagine as you grew up, the more you received the stable, caring love from both parents, the more that heart was filled up.
If that’s you, then you probably have a reasonable understanding of grace. You’re not trying to win God’s approval. You know you already have it because of what Jesus has done for you.
But what if you grew up differently? What if you lost the love of one or both parents – whether through their death, divorce, illness or one of countless other reasons? The emotional reservoir isn’t full at all.
The more your upbringing looked like this, the more unlikely you are to understand grace. And the more likely you are to do things in life to try to win God’s approval and the approval of others. Life is more likely to be a struggle. You’re always trying but never feel you’ve made it.
If you think you’re trying to earn God’s love, ask Him to set you free. Ask Him to heal the impact of your past. Ask Him to release you to understand grace.
The Christian life is designed to be lived in response to God’s love, not as a means to earning it.
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