Word for the day "What kind of love is this?"

I John 4: 7-10 My beloved friends, let us continue to love each other since love comes from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and experiences a relationship with God. The person who refuses to love doesn’t know the first thing about God, because God is love—so you can’t know him if you don’t love. This is how God showed his love for us: God sent his only Son into the world so we might live through him. This is the kind of love we are talking about—not that we once upon a time loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins and the damage they’ve done to our relationship with God.Many people simply can't believe that the Lord loves them. Others believe God loves them, but only when they are pleasing Him in some way. Why is it so hard for us to accept The Lord's unconditional love? How do you feel about God’s Love towards you?I suppose one reason is that we have a hard time loving others without conditions. We might say the words "I love you" to our spouse, children, friends, co-workers, or fellow believers but all too often are calculating in our mind whether or not they've lived up to our standard. We sometimes excuse ourselves from loving certain people because their behavior upsets or annoys us. The fact that we place restrictions on extending favor causes us to wrongly assume that the Lord does likewise. But  God does not cast out Love like we do people of God!Another reason is poor self-image. Considering ourselves unworthy, we refuse to accept God's love. You know what? None of us are worthy of the heavenly Father's goodness and mercy, so you can let go of that excuse once and for all. We are not coming to God based on our worth. Rather, we're coming to the Lord based on His grace, and our position is secure in Christ. To put yourself down as "beneath His grace" is to trample on His loving, generous gift. God arranged an awesome divine way for us to be reconciled to Him, and God’s greatest desire is for relationship with each of us.Point to ponder- If you feel unloved or struggle to accept yourself, ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the truth of our heavenly Father's love for you, and to sink it deep into your heart. Receive the truth that the God reveals. It will be a completely different story about your value as an individual.In His Love,Pastor James Baker, Jr.