Love Is a Gift

But God clearly shows and proves His own love for us, by the fact that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8 (AMP)

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Yesterday we saw how searching for significance in anything outside of God results in counterfeit love. Today let's look at how this affects our human relationships.

Everyone wants to be accepted and loved the way they are. But counterfeit love says, "You have to meet my conditions to receive my love." For example, if a child gets praise and special attention only when he does well in sports or gets good grades, he'll grow up believing he's loved only for his achievements. He will quickly become empty and burnt out. Not only that, but he'll begin to judge others by this counterfeit love, waiting for people around him to earn his love as well.

Now, there's nothing wrong with conditions. You still want your kids to clean their rooms or bring the car back on time. Sally and I made sure there were consequences if our kids misbehaved. But those behaviours were never attached to our love. At the end of the day, I love my kids no matter what they do—and I make sure they know it.

Love is a gift. It's never earned. When it comes to you and God, you are not loved because of your achievements or good behaviour. He loves you simply as a gift. In fact, Jesus demonstrated the depth of His love long before you did a thing to deserve it (Romans 5:8).

As you begin to experience His unconditional love, you'll be empowered to love the people in your world the same way. Instead of controlling others to get the love you need, you'll give your relationships the freedom to grow and flourish!

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