Let us not forget it was God who chose us

Grace (Amos 5:14b, 15b; 1 Pet 1:15b)

We are reminded that it was God who chose us, and extends free and unconditional grace to us. He is pleased to do this willingly out of his great, undeserved love for us (Eph 2:4-10).
In return we have nothing to give him to express our thanks except lives that grow in holiness and reach out in love to share grace with others. We will continually fail but thankfully, it is the intent and the heart that he reads, not the result.
To be holy is firstly, and above all, a matter of who we are that flows into what we do. Our being initiates and colours our doing.

- Alan Hermann

In the Grace of Your Love (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

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A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks away

A store owner was tacking a sign above his door that read “Puppies for Sale.” Signs have a way of attracting children, and soon a little boy appeared at the store and asked, “How much are you going to sell those puppies for?”

  The store owner replied, “Anywhere from $30 to $50.” The little boy reached into his pocket and pulled out some change. “I have $2-35, can I look at them?” The store owner smiled and whistled. Out of the back of the store came his dog running down the aisle followed by five little puppies.

  One puppy was lagging considerably behind. Immediately the little boy singled out the lagging, limping puppy. “What’s wrong with that little dog?” he asked. The man explained that when the puppy was born the vet said it had a bad hip socket and would limp for the rest of it’s life. The little boy got really excited and said “That’s the puppy I want to buy!”

  The man replied “No, you don’t want to buy that little dog. If you really want him, I’ll give him to you.” The little boy got upset. He looked straight into the man’s eyes and said. “I don’t want you to give him to me. He is worth every bit as much as the other dogs and I’ll pay the full price. In fact, I will give you $2-35 now and 50 cents a month until I have him paid for.”

  The man countered, “You really don’t want to buy this puppy, son. He is never going to be able to run, jump and play like other puppies.” The little boy reached down and rolled up his pant leg to reveal a badly twisted, crippled left leg supported by a big metal brace. He looked up at the man and said, “Well, I don’t run so well myself and the little puppy will need someone who understands.” The man was now biting his bottom lip. Tears welled up in his eyes. He smiled and said, “Son, I hope and pray that each and every one of these puppies will have an owner such as you.”

  In life it doesn’t matter who you are, but whether someone appreciates you for what you are and accepts you and loves you unconditionally. A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks away.

 - John Aldersley

Dutch version / Nederlandse versie > Een compagnon om samen op stap te gaan

Unarmed truth and unconditional love

I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have
the final word in reality. That is why right, temporarily
defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant.

      -- Martin Luther King, Jr.

Dutch version / Nederlands > Ongewapende waarheid en de onvoorwaardelijke liefde

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2016 update

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Unconditional love

Jesse Dean Robertson senior writes on multiply.: One hears a lot these days about 'Unconditional Love'. The dictionary defines unconditional as 'absolute, with no conditions or reservations'. Thus, to love unconditionally is to love with no restrictions, no qualifications, no 'I love you... but...'. Do you love yourself and others unconditionally? Do you love and approve of yourself and others even when a 'foul-up' occurs or when a behaviour is not one you judge 'right'? Have you achieved that ideal state of being, even once in a while? To love yourself and others no matter what the situation is.

continue reading > Loving_Unconditionally... and find that
 the first steps towards Unconditional love include patience, understanding, and acceptance of what is. To create a world for yourself where unconditional love abounds, you can also hold the thought that the world is a friendly place. As thought is creative, you will indeed attract to yourself a friendly world. Your attitude will bring out the best in people. You will be a factor in inspiring others to opt for their highest thought. It is sometimes difficult to love unconditionally when some person or situation has 'pushed your button', so to speak. You have a choice as to how to react. You can get angry, you can pout, you can pretend that nothing is happening (ignore the person and event), or perhaps, a better way to handle it is to deal with the situation or person in a non-attached way. Taking care of what needs to be done, responding with patience and understanding, and moving on.

...
Unconditional love has to do with always coming from a loving, giving, and responsive viewpoint, recognizing the value and worth of yourself and others, and thereby producing a state of pleasure. Unconditional love is the highest truth and is not afraid to tell it.
...
unconditional love means giving people the space to make their own choices, their own mis-takes, their own successes.