What is conditional love?
It’s what ShepherdDave does when he thinks he’s loving his spouse, child, grandchild, friend, neighbor, workmate, relative, Savior. ShepherdDave only loves those who are worthy of love: humble, considerate, gracious humans that he likes, because they don’t fail him, disrespect him, and when they perform up to his expectations. Pride. Me, me, me.
Unconditional love, is what DumbSheepDave does, and it has nothing to do with the recipients worthiness to be loved. Unconditional love is all of grace — a fruit of the Spirit’s work in Dave. ShepherdDave has no power to love this way, because unconditional love is supernatural love. ShepherdDave must be temporarily transformed into DumbSheepDave for any unconditional love to be extended from Dave to others, himself, and Jesus. What does it look like to unconditionally love Jesus? To love Jesus’ genius plan for Dave’s life, no matter what, trusting that ShepherdJesus knows best.
–DumbSheepDave, now and then, after the Shepherd’s Spirit has freshly convicted him of the sin of independence/pride, enabling him to be humble like Jesus, love like Jesus, hoping the pre-believers around him are noticing the difference Jesus has been making in 2014
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