Many individuals believe they have done such bad things there is no way they deserve to be loved. They presume if someone were to look at them and truly see them for who they are, that person would turn around and run the other direction. This view also ends up being applied to their relationship with God. As a pastor I often hear the question, “How could God love someone like me?”
Truth be told, none of us deserves to be loved by God--we have all done bad things at some point--but God loves us anyway. Two thousand years ago God sent his only son, Jesus, to live among us, die, and come to life again. Through this action Christ took upon himself all the dirt and guilt that humanity carries. The only condition is that we need to believe in him and follow him.
Ephesians 2 says: “Once you were dead, doomed forever because of your many sins...But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so very much, that even while we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s special favor that you have been saved!)...God saved you by his special favor when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it...God has created us anew in Christ Jesus.”
If you desire unconditional love and acceptance from the God who made you, all you need to do is believe in Jesus and accept the salvation he has for you. Take heart: God loves you!
--Pastor Stephen Valcourt
This article was originally posted in the Pincher Creek Echo