In Romans 8:35-39, Paul writes about the love that God has for us.
35 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 Just as it is written,
“FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE BEING PUT TO DEATH ALL DAY LONG;
WE WERE CONSIDERED AS SHEEP TO BE SLAUGHTERED.”
37 But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
We can see here that God’s love for us is unaffected by our conditions in life (tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril, sword, or life). It’s unaffected by the order of things (angels, principalities, powers, or any other created thing) and the power of time (things present or things to come). God’s love is present everywhere (height and depth). God’s love is unconditional, loving you as you are, even when you can’t love yourself.
It would be wonderful if our love for God was just as firm as His is for us. God loves us, but He hates sin. And it’s idle talk to say we love God but don’t do what He says.
1 John 5:3
3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome.
We can’t be truly committed to God if we hold onto any of self. Once we truly give ourselves over to God’s will, as we promised we would upon our acceptance of Jesus at baptism, we cannot fail Him. If we can take the two greatest commandments in the Bible –
Matthew 22:37-40
37 And He said to him, “‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’ 38 “This is the great and foremost commandment. 39 “The second is like it, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’
– and follow them, then we will not sin. We must put God before others, and others before self. That’s what God asks for. That’s what we promised.