Love Needs Acceptance

Love means nothing without acceptance.

This means that I do not have to do anything to earn someone's love, this is the source of peace that leads one to change from glory to glory. When parents and teachers look at children and see someone whom they love no matter what, that power softens the hard heart enough to change.

God so loved us, that He sent His only Son to die for us and give us His everlasting life (John 3: 16)

What a grand love!

This love not only wipes away our sins, but gives us perfect standing, perfect Sonship in Him:

"But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:" (John 1: 12)

and

"Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world." (1 John 4: 17)

This love grants to us everything:

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:" (Ephesians 1: 3)

Wow! So, we no longer need fear nor resent the discipline, the training that we receive from God:

"Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby." (Hebrews 12: 11)

God loves us just as we are, because he has transformed us into sons of light (1 Thessalonians 5: 5). For us, we are then called to grow in grace and knowledge of the Lord, that we may be more like Him (1 John 3: 3).

We need to be chastened, therefore, so that we learn just how accepted we are in Christ!