For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. Indeed, rarely will anyone die for a righteous person – though perhaps for a good person someone might actually dare to die. But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us. Much more surely then, now that we have been justified by his blood, will we be saved through him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more surely, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life. But more than that, we even boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Romans 5:6-11

It’s not easy to understand the depth of God’s love for us. Because of our pride and fear, we fail to grasp how undeserving we are and how free His love is.

At times we struggle with pride, so that we tend to believe that we have earned any love that we receive. Pride tells us that we are lovable, respectable, and worthy. At other times we feel the tug of fear. Deep down inside we know that we don’t deserve the love we get. Our motives are never pure, and we fear that we will be rejected if they are exposed. So even when we are basking in acceptance, we live with the fear of being unmasked, revealing that we are much less than what others think we are.

God does not love us because we deserve it. He loves us in spite of what we are. Because of what Jesus Christ has done for us, we know we are always loved by God. That simple truth shatters our pride and dispels our fear.

No one is beyond the reach of God’s love.

Our Daily Bread – July 20, 2004