As humans, we all have struggled in many different ways. Maybe you struggle with fear, or anxiety, temptation, lust, addiction, etc. As Christians, we might feel like these things separate us from God because it makes us think that we need to fix ourselves before we can come to Him. Sometimes, we feel too ashamed to come to God how we are because we think, how could God, the creator and most perfect being in the universe, still love me after all I have done? Well, Romans 8:38-39 says, “And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrowâ€"not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below-indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.â€� These few couple verses give us a whole new perspective on just how much God loves us.

When I read these verses, I remember that God loves us unconditionally and there is nothing we can do to make Him stop loving us. God doesn’t expect us to fix ourselves before coming to Him, instead he wants us to come to Him no matter how burdened we are and promises to give us rest (Matthew 11:28-30). Although His love is never-ending, we should not take advantage of that love by continuing to live in our sinful ways (Romans 6:1-2). We are all sinners and we all fall short of His glory, but God still loves us through and through.

Suggested prayer: Thank you, Lord, for loving me unconditionally. Because of your great love, I can always come to you knowing that you will not forsake me, despite my feelings. Please help me not to take advantage of your gracious love, and may my love for you grow continually. In the name of Jesus I pray, Amen.

1.    Romans 8:35 and 37 (NLT).

Today’s Encounter was written by: Gianna B.