How Can I Receive God’s Love? 3 Tips for Embracing God’s Unconditional Love for Us

We know God loves us in our minds, but have we actually accepted and received His love in our hearts? God revealed His love for us through His word, Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross, and His presence in our daily lives. Yet, despite all the evidence that God loves us, we sometimes still wonder if God truly does love us. The truth is that we don’t have to feel that God loves us in order for God to love us. In this blogpost, I’ll discuss three practical things you can do to receive and accept God’s love: study the scriptures, address feelings of rejection, and let go of perfection.

Studying the Scripture Reveals God’s Love

For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will. (Ephesians 1:4-5)

God loves us so much that He mentions how much He loves us in scripture often. Verses like John 3:16 which says “for God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” reminds us of the price God was willing to pay to have a relationship with us. We can use Bible verses like John 3:16 as reminders of God’s love to encourage us and help us receive God’s love.

Tip: If you’re struggling with receiving God’s love, try memorizing scriptures. Find one or two scriptures, memorize them, and pray for the Holy Spirit to convict you whenever you begin to deny God’s love for you. When you feel convicted, pray through the scriptures you memorized. This will help you to remind yourself of God’s love and begin the process of changing how you think about your relationship with God.

Confronting Feelings of Abandonment and Rejection

How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! (1 John 3:1)

We often have past hurts and trauma that cause us to feel as if God cannot love us. Issues of rejection, abandonment, and even guilt from past behaviors can be barriers to receiving God’s love. The good news is that God does love us as His children and has a great plan for our lives. 1 Corinthians 2:9 says “no eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him.” The truth is we cannot fully understand or anticipate the love that God has for each of us—the love God has for you. 

Tip: If you’re struggling with accepting God’s love for you due to past hurts, it may be helpful to seek out Christian counseling. A good place to start is by asking your pastor or church elders for recommendations. Some churches have ministries, like Celebrate Recovery, that are geared towards helping people find complete freedom in Christ. 

You can also seek God in your personal prayer time and ask trusted Christian friends to pray for you to fully received God’s love in your life. According to the Bible, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ (Romans 8:1). Begin praying through and believing this truth. Jesus Christ has set you free and there is nothing that can truly stop you from receiving God’s love. It was already given freely to you and demonstrated powerfully at the cross.

Foregoing Perfection to Receive God’s Love

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. (1 John 4:18)

The truth is that, when we pursue perfection, we are ultimately trying to earn God’s love instead of rest in God’s love. For whatever reason, we may feel that God’s love isn’t free. Our salvation isn’t free. This is a completely false and poisonous heart attitude. The truth is that God loves us. He sees who we are due to the past hurts we’ve gone through. He sees who are due to how our families have influenced us. He sees the mistakes we’ve made and knows our past and our future. And lastly, He even sees who we could have been if we had never sinned, had never been born into a dysfunctional family, and had never had to face the trials we’ve been through in our lives. And He still chooses to love us for all eternity.

We serve an omniscient God who sees every facet of who we are or who we could have been. And guess what? He still chose you. We don’t have to try to live to impossible standards to receive God’s love. All we have to do is embrace what He has already freely given. 

Tip: If you are struggling with perfectionism, let it go. Spend time with God in authentic prayer. Tell Him your fears and ask Him for help with your struggles. Start practicing being vulnerable with God. The truth is that God is your Father, Jesus is your older brother, and the Holy Spirit is your friend and nothing can separate you from their love. You don’t have to earn it. 

Key Takeaways:

• God loves you and the scriptures can remind us of His love
• Confronting feelings of rejection, abandonment, and guilt can help us accept God’s love
• Letting go of perfection can help us rest in God’s love

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Do you have any tips or a word of encouragement about receiving God’s love? Please leave a comment below. As always, I’d love to hear from you!