Read John 3 in your Bible, then come back.
Notice the direction of the story. God is not standing at a distance waiting to be persuaded. He moves first, and He moves toward the very world that had turned away from Him.
That means your standing with God does not begin with your performance. It begins with His love, which was already in motion before you knew to look for it. Nicodemus came to Jesus at night, full of questions and cautious about being seen. Jesus did not turn him away for coming in the dark.
Reflect
Where have you assumed you must clean yourself up before God would come near? What changes if He already came?
Pray
Father, thank You that You loved me before I knew how to love You. Teach me to receive that love instead of trying to earn it. Amen.
One small step
Say out loud, once today, in your own words: “God loves me because He is love, not because I performed well.”