Unconditional love
Well, it's another sad story from the "entertainment capital of the world". The sadness behind all the glitz and stardom came to light again with what happened to a woman who at times has been the highest paid actress. Demi Moore has been married to two of Hollywood's biggest actors; she's been a cover girl on national magazines. But about this time last year, she was the subject of a friend's urgent 000 call. She was rushed to the hospital suffering from a dangerous drug overdose.
In a recent interview, the real hurt underneath the facade of smiles and glamour came to light. This same actress stated: "What scares me is that I'm going to ultimately find out at the end of my life that I'm really not loveable; that I'm not worthy of being loved."
Now of course what she was referring to was "old age". Her fear was that as her looks faded and her beauty diminished, there would be no one interested in her - no man who would be attracted to her. She wouldn't be worth loving. And sadly, there are many others, people you would least expect, who go Around thinking that they are worth nothing, and why should any one love them anyway? The latest craze is for young girls to screen themselves on "You-Tube" and tell the world how ugly they are. How sad!
Who knows what causes these feelings? Never having been really loved or cared for, could be one. Disappointing relationships - people who've made you feel that you are nothing and certainly not "worth loving" - could be other causes. And so behind many of the smiling facades, the show of bravado, there is hurt and pain, a feeling that one is not worth anything, not worth loving and even loathes one’s self. Is there someone who loves us unconditionally? Is there someone who will love us, and never give up loving us, even when we mess things up?
The wonderful news is that - there is! God has shown His unconditional and eternal love for us in His Son Jesus Christ. Now don't turn off just yet. Hear me out. God doesn't care how un-loveable you are. His love isn't "I love you if..." or "I love you because..." It's just, "I love you, because of My Son Jesus." His love for you is all about Him and nothing about you. How can you know that? Because He says in His Book, "God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were yet sinners."( Romans 5:8)
God initiated the greatest act of love in the history of this universe, when He sent His Son to die an unspeakable death on a cross. Not because you were so loveable, but because you were lost, believed you were unwanted, and could see no future in anything, let alone be secure for all eternity. In the beginning all things were perfect. Adam and Eve knew that they were loved by God, and they loved each other; but then sin came into the world through a disobedient action by Adam and Eve, and everything went pear shaped. Now everyone is born a sinner, separated from God. In fact people live in rebellion to God. He is the Creator and has given us the Manufacturer's Manual (Bible) to show us how we can live a life of peace, joy, love and to have a life with aim and purpose. But people rebel, ignore the Bible, reject God and ignore His instruction manual.
But still God loves us. He offered up His Son to do the dying for our sin and rebellion. As the Bible says, "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, so that whosoever believes in Him, shall have eternal life." (John 3:16). Love without discrimination; love that has nothing to do with our performance or our loveableness. It's a love like no other. All He asks is for us to turn away from our rebellion and rejection, to turn away (repent) from our sins, and believe in what He has done for us through His Son.
And another point. Since it's all about Him and not about you or me, it's an un-loseable love. When His Son was hanging on that cross, carrying your sin and mine as He died, God had to turn His back on His Son, because God cannot look upon sin. And He did this, so He would never have to turn His back on us. And so having died and paid the penalty for our sins, God the Father turned back to His Son and raised Him back to life on the third day, making the way for us to be His forever. So, in the Bible's words, "nothing in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:39).
God’s love in Jesus is the only love in the world that will never disappoint you, never divorce you, never die on you, never leave you. It is a love that you can experience if you will respond to that love and say, "Father, nobody loves me like You do. Lord Jesus, You died on a cross for me. You're powerful enough to walk out of Your grave and into my life, and I want You to do that today. I love you, because You loved me first."
Don't look anywhere else for this love. God’s love in Christ gives you true worth. You will never have to say that you are un-loveable, or that no one could possibly love you, again. The little children singing "Yes, Jesus loves me, this I know", know what's it all about. And those words should be ringing in your heart right now. There is now no fear about the future. Your lifetime search for love ends in His welcoming arms. Grace and peace......