Love Letters From the KingSample

Day Three

God’s Love Is Free

Scripture: John 6:28¬-29; Romans 5:8; James 2:26; 1 John 2:2

Kingdom Key: Stop working for God’s love; start working because of it.

I try to be a “good” person. I go the extra mile for people. I’m always in search of other ways I can help others. Whenever I slip up and fall into sin, I try my best to make up for it. But sometimes, I feel like my best is not enough, that nothing I do will ever be enough. I’m working on that too.

—signed, the girl who’s making up for things 

Hey girl, 

You’ve probably noticed that many religions focus on deeds— your good deeds must outweigh your bad deeds. God’s love is not like that. 

You don’t have to pay Him back. You don’t have to “make up” to Him after you’ve made a mistake. He requires you to repent, not repair. The fixing—the forgiveness—is His job. Whenever you fall, go to your Father. 

God admires your grit and applauds how you honor your gifts in service to Him. But do the work because you love Him, not because you want Him to love you. He has already given you His heart. You’re not saved by your own works but by what Christ did on the cross. 

Christ conquered sin and death, and He’s transforming your entire inner being; He works in you and through you. 

Stop working for His love; start working in the name of it. Show the world what He has done and can do through you and me. 

Here are words straight from God to you: “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”

—Ephesians 2:8–10, NLT

Let’s Pray: Heavenly Father, all of my life I’ve felt like I’ve had to overcompensate. I want to be seen a certain way, so I’m scared of making mistakes. I hate feeling like I’ve let people down. I now realize I’ve taken that attitude into my relationship with You. Forgive me. I’m grateful for Your sacrificial love, and I look forward to my new journey of working because of Your love, not for it. In Jesus’s name, amen.

Adapted from Love Letters from the King: 100 Devotions for the Girl Who Wants to Hear from God by Tarah-Lynn Saint-Elien. Copyright © 2021 by Tarah-Lynn Adorned LLC. Reprinted with permission of Baker Publishing. All rights reserved.