gift of love. There are no prerequisites we must strive to meet in our own strength. God loves us while we are sinners and freely offers us His love. Our part is only to accept it—to believe and receive. What good news this is! God’s free gift of love and salvation means that there is nothing we must do to earn God’s love—indeed, there is nothing we can do to earn God’s love. God’s only motivation for loving us and forgiving us is the motivation of His own heart. We cannot “make” God love us, and
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