Embracing God's Unconditional Love: A Transformative Journey

Devotional

Day 1: God's Love as a Gentle Intrusion

God's love enters our world as a gentle yet profound force, contrasting the pain and fear that often surround us. This love is most powerfully demonstrated through the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, an act that stands as the ultimate expression of love. It is through this sacrificial love that God initiates the process of redemption, loving us first so that we might learn to love in return. In a world that can feel cold and unkind, God's love offers warmth and hope, inviting us to embrace it fully. [01:46]

"For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,” says the Lord, who has compassion on you." (Isaiah 54:10, ESV)

Reflection: In what areas of your life do you feel the coldness of the world? How can you invite God's gentle love to warm those areas today?

Day 2: Childlike Reception of God's Love

Receiving God's love requires an openness and trust akin to that of a child receiving care from a parent. As we grow older, we often become more guarded, fearing rejection or feeling unworthy of love. Yet, God's love is unconditional, demonstrated by Christ's sacrifice while we were still sinners. This love calls us to form a community where we can both give and receive love freely, without fear or hesitation. Embracing this childlike reception allows us to explore and grow in God's love, deepening our attachment to Him. [05:08]

"Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it." (Mark 10:15, ESV)

Reflection: What barriers have you built that prevent you from receiving God's love with childlike trust? How can you begin to dismantle these barriers today?

Day 3: Unconditional Love and Our Worthiness

As we mature, we often struggle with feelings of unworthiness, doubting that we are deserving of love. However, God's love is unconditional, as demonstrated by Christ's sacrifice for us while we were still sinners. This love challenges us to accept our worthiness in God's eyes, despite our imperfections. By embracing this truth, we can begin to see ourselves as God sees us, worthy of love and capable of loving others in return. [07:55]

"But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8, ESV)

Reflection: What specific thoughts or beliefs make you feel unworthy of God's love? How can you replace these with the truth of your worthiness in God's eyes?

Day 4: The Act of Will in Receiving God's Love

Receiving God's love is not passive; it requires an act of will, a conscious decision to accept that we are loved by God. This acceptance can transform our lives, allowing us to live in the freedom and joy of being deeply and personally loved by God. By choosing to accept this love, we open ourselves to a new way of living, one that is marked by assurance and peace. [09:39]

"See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are." (1 John 3:1, ESV)

Reflection: What steps can you take today to consciously accept God's love into your life? How might this decision change the way you live and interact with others?

Day 5: Invitation to Receive God's Love

The invitation to receive God's love is open to all, calling us to open our hearts and let His love fill us. By doing so, we can live each day in the assurance of God's unwavering love, knowing that we are deeply and personally loved by Him. This invitation is not a one-time event but a daily practice of opening ourselves to God's presence and love, allowing it to transform us from the inside out. [10:40]

"And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." (Philippians 1:6, ESV)

Reflection: How can you make receiving God's love a daily practice? What specific actions or habits can you incorporate into your routine to remind yourself of His love?

Sermon Summary

Today, I want to explore the profound and transformative power of love, particularly the love of God as revealed through Jesus Christ. In a world often filled with pain, loss, and fear, God's love intrudes gently, offering a stark contrast to the coldness and malice that can settle in our hearts. The crucifixion of Jesus stands as the ultimate demonstration of love, a high-water mark that no other source can match. This act of love is the first move in the process of redemption, as God loved us first, enabling us to love in return.

Receiving God's love is not always easy. Like a child naturally receiving care from a parent, we are called to receive God's love with openness and trust. However, as we grow older, we become more guarded, fearing rejection or unworthiness. Yet, God's love is unconditional, demonstrated by Christ's sacrifice while we were still sinners. This love invites us to form a community of love, where we can love others and be loved in return.

The challenge lies in truly receiving this love. It requires an act of will, a conscious decision to accept that we are loved by God, despite our imperfections. This acceptance can transform our lives, allowing us to live in the freedom and joy of being deeply and personally loved by God. I invite you to take a moment to receive this love, to open your heart and let God's love fill you. In doing so, you can live each day in the assurance of God's unwavering love.

Key Takeaways

1. God's love is a gentle intrusion into a world filled with pain and fear. It is most profoundly demonstrated through Jesus Christ, whose crucifixion is the ultimate act of love. This love is the foundation of our redemption, as God loved us first, enabling us to love in return. [01:46]
2. Like a child receiving care from a parent, we are called to receive God's love with openness and trust. This natural reception forms the basis of our attachment to God, allowing us to explore and grow in His love. [05:08]
3. As we grow older, we often become guarded, fearing that we are unworthy of love. However, God's love is unconditional, demonstrated by Christ's sacrifice while we were still sinners. This love challenges us to accept our worthiness in God's eyes. [07:55]
4. Receiving God's love requires an act of will, a conscious decision to accept that we are loved by God. This acceptance can transform our lives, allowing us to live in the freedom and joy of being deeply and personally loved by God. [09:39]
5. I invite you to take a moment to receive God's love, to open your heart and let His love fill you. In doing so, you can live each day in the assurance of God's unwavering love, knowing that you are deeply and personally loved by Him. [10:40]
** [10:40]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:34] - Conference in Hawaii
[01:09] - Nancy's Rebuttals
[01:21] - Dallas Willard's Insights
[01:46] - God's Gentle Intrusion
[02:15] - The High-Water Mark of Love
[02:30] - Love's First Move
[03:12] - Community of Love
[03:39] - Receiving God's Love
[04:06] - Childlike Reception
[05:08] - Attachment and Exploration
[06:45] - God's Vulnerability
[07:55] - Unconditional Love
[09:39] - Act of Will
[10:40] - Invitation to Receive Love

Sermon Clips

Dallas writes about how we live in a world where pain and loss and fear and anger resentment contempt settle into coldness and malice and that's the world that we live in, so he writes in such a world God intrudes gently and in many ways, but especially in the person of Jesus Christ especially there. It is he who stands for love as no one else has ever done and pays the price for it. [00:01:32]

His crucifixion is the all-time high water mark of love on earth. While we were still helpless at the right time Christ died for the ungodliness of Paul writes to the church in Rome chapter 5 verse 6. No other source whether inside or outside of religions even comes close to what God in Christ shows of love. [00:02:02]

This is the first move of love and the process of redemption. He first loved us first John 4 19. Therefore love is from God John says we know this because he laid down his life for us. All other loves are to be measured by this standard. [00:02:28]

When we receive what is thus clearly given, the revelation of God's loving Christ, that in turn makes it possible for us to love. Love is awakened in us by him. We feel its call first to love Jesus himself and then God. Thus the first great commandment to love God with all our being can fulfill because of the beauty of God given in Christ. [00:02:45]

And then Dallas goes on to talk about the next move of love where not only am I loved by God and I love God but I'm able to love other people and then in turn other people can love me and we have a community of love. [00:03:14]

A little child naturally does two things: one is simply to receive care from the mom and the dad to be soothed to be cleansed to be fed to be cuddled to be tickled to be smiled at. A child naturally receives these things and then a child associates these gifts with the giver of care and that's where an attachment forms. [00:03:48]

When a strong attachment sense of love is in the child the child doesn't just lay at the mom's feet the child is curious and goes to explore that's part of what it means to be made in the image of God and I have dominion so that's the way that a child an infant is able to receive love to absorb acts of care and connect with a caregiver. [00:05:11]

When we get older we get a little more guarded we get a little more cautious about this. We're afraid somebody might not love us if we're not pretty enough or smart enough our attractive baby never thinks that way and then we're careful in the way that we express love. [00:05:38]

God has made himself vulnerable and this is the passage that Dallas cites in this text when we want to know how much does God love us at just the right time when was that right time while we were sinners while we were messed up while we were ugly in the ancient world friendship was highly regarded. [00:06:43]

God demonstrates his love for us in that while we were still sinners unlovable unworthy Jesus died for us this is the high water mark of love and so then he invites us to receive this love and that's what I want to invite you to take a moment to do. [00:07:42]

I think how often it is so difficult for us to receive love from God you know think oh God couldn't love somebody like me and we underestimate God and we sell God short because God is love and what God couldn't do is God cannot not love. [00:09:09]

It actually is possible to receive God's love as an act of the will. Now this is the thought God loves me Jesus loves me this I know but then it is possible to pause and say now God I choose to receive your love for me. [00:09:34]

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