God’s Love for You

Read

Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Think

Before you can love anyone well, you have to know that you are deeply, completely, and relentlessly loved by God. That’s where real love begins. Not with effort, but with awareness. Not by trying harder, but by receiving more fully.

Romans 5:8 tells us something breathtaking: God didn’t wait for you to clean yourself up, fix your issues, or prove your loyalty. He loved you right in the middle of your mess. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. That means his love isn’t reactionary. It’s not based on your performance. It’s rooted in his character.

If we’re honest, most of us struggle to believe this kind of love is real. Maybe you’ve been conditioned to think love is earned. Maybe the people in your life have only offered love when you measured up. Or maybe you’ve failed in ways that make it hard to imagine God could still want you. But the cross didn’t come after you figured it all out. It came when you were still running.

God’s love for you is not a theory. It’s not a slogan. It’s a fact, proven by action. Jesus didn’t just say you were worth loving. He paid the highest price to make sure you never had to wonder. And He didn’t just die for the version of you that shows up to church or reads devotionals. He died for the fearful version. The angry version. The insecure, ashamed, impulsive version. That’s how deep his love goes.

Until that truth sinks in, love will always feel like something you have to manufacture. You’ll give it out of duty. You’ll try to earn it in return. But when you realize how completely you’ve already been loved, it changes the way you love others. You no longer love to prove something. You love from overflow. Think about this: God sees everything about you—past, present, and future—and he still says, “Mine.” That includes the stuff you hide. The shame you carry. The questions you’re afraid to ask out loud. He knows it all and loves you still. Not because you’re good, but because he is.

This is the love that fuels the fruit of the Spirit. Without this as your foundation, love becomes performance. But when you begin to grasp the relentless, unshakable love of God, it becomes your power source. You stop striving to be lovable and start living like someone who already is. And this love is not fragile. It doesn’t break when you doubt. It doesn’t waver when you fail. God’s love is constant, and it is personal. He doesn’t love some future version of you. He loves you. Today. Right now. Fully seen, fully known, fully embraced.

You don’t have to compete for his attention. You don’t have to earn your place. You simply have to rest in it. When that kind of love becomes your foundation, your life begins to shift. You’re more patient with others because you’ve experienced patience. You show more grace because grace has carried you. You begin to love—not out of fear or obligation—but because you’ve finally tasted the real thing. So today, don’t just learn about love. Soak in it. Sit in it. Let it calm your fears and quiet your striving. You are loved. Start there and let everything else grow from that soil.

Apply

Write down one sentence describing how God has loved you, even in your worst moments. Then spend five minutes in silence. Don’t talk. Don’t strive. Just sit in the presence of the One who sees you fully and loves you completely.

Pray

God, your love is bigger than my mistakes and deeper than my doubts. You loved me when I didn’t love you back. You stayed when I ran. Thank you for a love I didn’t earn and could never repay. Help me live today like someone who’s been loved that deeply. In Jesus’ name. Amen.