Unconditional.

I just started a Bible study with my aunt. We're doing "The Practice of Godliness" by Jerry Bridges. Man, I'm not even through the second chapter and I've already learned so much!

One thing that really hit me was this quote by the author. "Devotion to God is the mainspring of Godly character." Godliness isn't something that people are just "born with" or "born without". True Godliness relies on devotion to God. Devotion requires a real, personal relationship with God. You may be devoted to a certain ministry or your reputation as a Christian, but this doesn't mean that you've got Godliness down. "Only a strong personal relationship with the living God can keep such a commitment from becoming oppressive or legalistic."

True devotion to God always results in Godliness. Another valid point made while I was reading was that it is impossible to be truly devoted to God if one's heart is not filled with the fear of God. Not fear meaning "scared"..but fear being "in awe".

The section I was reading this morning really hit me hard. The section was about God's unconditional love. unconditional. Jerry Bridges says it like this.."It is not enough to believe that God loved the world. It must be gripped by the realization that God loves ME, a specific person. It is this awareness of His individual love that draws our hearts in devotion to Him."

Here's the thing ladies and gents. We ALL want to be loved. We, as humans, need to feel supported, loved, and encouraged. We all want to be understood. We secretly (or not so secretly) want to be loved unconditionally.

So, guess what?

God can do this. God does this. So stop searching for that someone to love you unconditionally. Because He's right here. Waiting. for YOU.

xoxo

Lizzie.