Sadly, for many of us, the fact that God loves us makes little or no difference in our lives.
It made little difference in my life for a long time. I acted like I had to earn his love by achieving, doing good things, and being strong. But God loves me without achieving, doing good things, and being strong.
Paraphrasing 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, God says to us, his children, “I am patient with you, I am kind with you, I act in your best interest, I do not hold a grudge towards you, but celebrate your progress in the faith, and I expect you to succeed. I say these things to you because I love you.”
Relying more on God’s love for me has freed me to be who I really am, a dearly loved child of God.
I am freer to do things that are right for me, rather than what gives the most prestige. I am freer to do things for the right reasons, rather than trying to earn his love that I already have. And I can be more honest about my weaknesses, which do not diminish God’s love for me even a “smidgeon.”
What other differences can accepting God’s love us for us make in our lives?
Accepting that God loves us so much that He died on a cross for us will get us to heaven (John 3:16). What a difference that makes?
Relying on the fact that God loves us will require us to reject much of our prior training and how the world operates. What a difference that will make!
Training such as “There is no free lunch” and “God can’t love us unless we earn it”. “But God demonstrates his own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).
Yes, it is too good to be true, but it is true that God loves us just the way we are.
Another big difference in living in the reality of God’s love for us is losing many of our fears. Experiencing God’s love for us will drive out our fears and replace them with peace. “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love” (1John 4:18).
Relying on God’s love for us will also empower us to love others. “We love because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19). We can’t love others like God does unless his love for us has made a difference in our lives.
May the fact that God loves you make a difference in your life. May you avoid the sad fate of “the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard” (Hebrews 4:2).
Ask God to help you to live in the reality of his love for you today. What is one difference you think that it will make?
Journey into Lightl 
What difference does it make…
Are we better human beings because God loves us? One would hope so.
Would life be better if we considered first that God loves that other person, and therefore it would be wrong to hurt that other person?
Wouldn’t it be even better if that other person considered it first as well?
I don’t wish to offend, but what difference does it make?
I’m no more special because of it. No more well known.
How many of us would be closer to being complete had those we loved looked us in the eye and said I Love You?
Why must we rely on a God breathed book written over many many many years ago as our proof?
I’m certainly not denying this as truth, but I sure would like to be one of the chosen few that God whispers to.
Alan
Hi Alan,
I think we would be better human beings if we relied on the fact that God loves us. If we do rely, it makes a big difference.
If we rely on the fact that God loves that other person and therefore I should not hurt them, then that will make a difference in how we treat them.
I agree it would be great if the other person treated us like we also were loved by God.
It makes a big difference in our lives to rely on God’s love for us. For those of us who have never believed, we can’t comprehend and think it foolish that getting to heaven is a free gift motivated by God’s love for us.
For those of us who do believe, relying on God’s love for us frees us from our fears and stress of trying to earn his love that he has already given to us as a gift.
It makes a big difference in our stress level to trust that we are in the hands of a loving God, rather than an angry one.
I agree it is sad that many of us were not trained by our childhoods, schools, and society to accept the great love God has for us. It makes it difficult to accept his love for us today. Yet, God promises that through his help we can be changed to accept God’s “free lunch” of his infinite love for us.
Blessings!
Rich
Well put as always…
I sure wish I could really put that rubber and road together.
Excellent post and discussion. Knowing He loves me gives me hope. Alan, I am tweeking some of your points and using them in a sermon Sunday. I hope that is all right. Thanks for the tips. I have a friend who says, “God loves you and there’s not a thing you can do about it.” LOL
Hello Dennis,
If my opinions help anyone I would be pleased.
Be Blessed,
Alan