The Holy Ghost Said!
I Love You Regardless
As I have grown in knowledge of God and attempted to walk in truth, God has revealed himself to me in wonderful ways. When I was growing up, I saw God as a vengeful God just waiting for us to step out of line so he could swat us. I now see a loving God who is a better father to his children that any earthly father can imagine being. The more we allow his word to transform us into his image, the more clearly we see him as he truly is. One of the greatest revelations that he has given me is of his unconditional love for his children.
I have always been a performance oriented person. I have striven to excel in everything that I have attempted and I have taught my children to do likewise. Even though I love them, I have been disappointed in them when they didn't put forth the effort that I thought that they should. We can't all accomplish the same things, but we can all put forth our best efforts in attempting whatever we try to accomplish. One day, as I thought on my lack of accomplishments in the ministry, I was very disappointed in myself. I was feeling that God must also be disappointed in me when I heard the Holy Ghost say, "David, I love you regardless of whether you ever accomplish anything."
What a liberating statement! God didn't love me any less because of my failures, and he wasn't going to love me any less should all the rest of my life be a failure. I am loved and accepted like I am, not based on what I have accomplished or might accomplish. All of a sudden, I knew the love of God in a way beyond anything that I had ever imagined. It is an unconditional and complete love. He can't love us any more or any less.
I had come to a "rest" in God when I received the Holy Ghost and was freed from trying to minister in my own strength, but understanding his love made it an even greater rest. Resting both in the power of God and in the love of God is indeed glorious. Whether I ever accomplish anything or not, I love God and he loves me and that is not going to change. I hope you too come to a knowledge of the rest that God has for his children in this life. God's wishes for all his children are made quite clear in II Corinthians 13:14, "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen." He wants each one to know the grace, the power, and the love that will only come through the communion of the Holy Ghost.