This might sound a bit strange but if you're going to receive God's love, it can't be about you. Now let me explain... :)
If you try and build a relationship with God thinking it's about you and whether your performance is good enough- you will fail. It's actually impossible to have a relationship with God in this way, because you're not perfect and when it comes to receiving anything from God, you will struggle because you think it's all on you to deserve it.
This is probably one of the biggest things God has shown me in learning to receive His love - it's actually not about me at all. It's about who God is.
We know that God is love and He loves because that's just who He is. This is so powerful because nothing we do can change who God is, which means nothing we do can change how God loves us. He is who is He is regardless.
1 John 4:10 - This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. (NLT)
This is real love, the fact that God loved us first and wanted relationship with us before we ever deserved it. God proved His love to us by becoming a sacrifice for all sin through Jesus, forever removing this barrier of having to earn relationship with God.
2 Corinthians 18:19 - Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
It's Jesus who has made us right with God - that is why it is never about us, but all about Him.
The Christian life is about resting in what Jesus did for us. And what's more is that we don't even have to carry any guilt or shame. Jesus' sacrifice was more than enough to cover the cost of sin, and now God sees us completely different.
Anything held against you was literally nailed to the cross!
Colossians 2:13-14 - You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross.
It's not that God turns a blind eye to sin... but because of Jesus, your sin has actually been paid for and dealt with. So God now looks at you as though you had never sinned at all. Your past, present, and even future sins have all been dealt with - isn't that amazing!
Even when you mess up now - and you will, it doesn't change your righteousness before God, because it's no longer about you and your actions. Your righteousness (right standing with God) is not from your own works. Your righteousness is now from Jesus.
If you're a Believer, you have the very righteousness of God Himself. That is who you are now regardless of your actions.
2 Corinthians 5:15 - For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (NKJV)
I know this post might have challenged some people, especially if you've been in religion, but I'm praying God will use this to break down that barrier of self performance and that you can be free in receiving His love.
Kelly :)