UNCONDITIONAL

a devotional by Ryan Young

As a follower of Christ, I know what unconditional love means. It means that God’s love for me does not depend on my standing or merit. It means that God loves me through the dirt, filth, and ugliness that my life was without Him. It means God loves me through the dirt, filth, and ugliness that my life has in it, even with Him. It means that His love is not subject to any condition, that He would love me only: if I’m good enough, faithful enough, read my Bible enough, pray enough, or give enough. If God’s love was conditional, I’m sure I’d be running on empty.

I know all these things because God’s word explains His love for us. We have great examples: John 3:16, Romans 5:8, 1 John 3:16, 1 John 4:16 to name a few examples. I could tell you what it’s like to receive unconditional love, and even in that, I wouldn’t be able to do it justice because God’s love is bigger than my vocabulary and finite mind.

Unconditional love…what an incredible thing to be able to receive it.

Yet what I didn’t really KNOW was how it felt to be on the other side of the coin.

And then it happened…

March 29, 2018

4:09 AM

Kenley Mae Young was born, and my understanding of unconditional love changed forever. There was nothing Kenley could do to make me love her more. There was nothing she could do that would make me love her less. The love for a child is simply unexplainable. It’s the kind of love that you would do anything and everything to make sure they have everything they could ever need. And it was then I began to think about God’s love for His children. That He did give everything so that you and I could have exactly what we needed.

These thoughts were so overwhelming as I held my precious daughter and thought about the love that God has for me. No matter where you are at today, what you are struggling with…I just want to remind you that God loves you, and he loves you unconditionally. 

“Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13