Have you struggled with your worth? Have you ever said to yourself, “I don’t deserve anything or anyone good?” I have, and for the biggest part of my life, I have struggled not to perform for love. If you have had the same battle with receiving love, then this message will change your thinking. Before you shut the idea of being deserving of love down, allow me to give insight on what the Lord showed me on the subject.
We all do things that are not deserving of love, at least by our human standards of what and how love is distributed but, God’s standards are completely different because He loves unconditionally. Why would anyone so depraved and sinful be worthy of the love of God? I do not think anyone knows the full answer to this question, but while in prayer I believe the Holy Spirit gave me a hint of the answer. God loves us because He created us in His image. Enough said; we are His, and He is ours if we should so choose.
7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. - Rom 5:7-8 NKJV
We love God because He first loved us (1Jo 4:19). Notice we don’t love God, and then He exchanges His love but first He loves us, and in His perfect love the fear of never being deserving of love is cast out! Now that is worth a shout of praise. With this thought in mind, these words may ring afresh in your heart. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. - Jhn 3:16
LOVE, THE BENEFIT OF GOD
The word deserve is translated from the Hebrew word gĕmuwl and is defined in the Strong’s Concordance as a benefit or reward.
2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: 3 Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, 4 Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, - Psa 103:2-4 NKJV
The most important benefit of being a child of God through faith in Jesus Christ is undeserving love! We complicate this truth because we can never fully understand the love of God. However, we can trust His word that we are loved in Christ Jesus.
Because we were created in the image of God and His Spirit lives in us, it stands to reason that when we love one another with His love that some of these benefits can flow from us to another as well.
I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. - Gal 5:16 When we live according to the Spirit of God and His ways, we will reap the rewards of such a lifestyle. Our lives will reflect God’s heart through the Holy Spirit within us. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. - Gal 5:22-23 We will crucify the fleshly passions and desires to do as our own will wants and choose love in every situation and when we do we will see the following things manifest in our lives.
Healing comes with love. Confess [your] trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. - Jas 5:16 NKJV
Forgiveness comes with love. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. Col 3:13 NIV
Kindness and Tenderness come with love. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. - Eph 4:32 NKJV
Redemption comes with love. We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 1 Jo 3:16
Purity comes with love. Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, [and] to keep oneself unspotted from the world. - Jas 1:27 NKJV
Goodness, justice, and mercy come with love. He has shown you, O man, what [is] good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God? - Mic 6:8 NKJV
Reconciliation comes with love. 23Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, 24Leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift. Matt 5:23-24 NIV
Peace and Holiness come with love. Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. Heb 12:14 NIV
Contentment comes with love. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. Phl 4:12 NIV
There are many benefits to living the godly and surrendered life of love. It is not an easy life and it requires a supernatural work in our hearts and minds, the work of the Holy Spirit. It is possible to choose real love and not love by human standards. Human love will often love with condition and compromise. Love does not compromise the truth of God’s word whereby many are lured into sinful lifestyles. True love is that which is derived from God’s heart, His word, and lived out by His Spirit.
Let’s pray,
Heavenly Father, thank You for loving me even when I am unlovable. Thank You for teaching me about love. I repent for every time I chose not to love because I was hurt, or every time I allowed love to be compromised with sin. Help me make the right choices with love according to Your ways and standards and not with a human agenda or ideology. In Jesus name, Amen.