“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”
Philippians 2:3–4
A simple question exposes my motives quickly: Am I doing this because I am loved, or am I doing it so that I will be loved? When I chase affirmation, approval, or recognition, my heart drifts toward performance. I become more concerned with how I am seen than with how I am loving.
God reminds me that my identity is already settled in Christ. I do not need to earn love or prove worth. When I truly believe this, something shifts. I stop living from a place of striving and start living from a place of security. My focus moves from what I can gain to what I can give.
Here is what that looks like in real life:
- Because I am loved, I can walk in humility and let God define my value. When I am trying to be loved, I feel the need to impress and promote myself.
- Because I am loved, I can release my anxiety to God. When I am trying to be loved, I carry the weight of how well I perform.
- Because I am loved, I can stand firm in truth. When I am trying to be loved, I become vulnerable to lies and unstable emotions.
- Because I am loved, I can trust God’s refining work in my life. When I am trying to be loved, I just want comfort and ease.
I want to pursue my relationships and goals from a place of freedom, not fear. God’s love is not theory. It is the foundation for how I think, lead, speak, serve, and grow. When I live because I am loved, everything else falls into its proper place.
A Prayer
Lord, keep my motives pure today. Guard me from living for approval or attention. Help me walk with the quiet confidence that I am already fully loved by You. Shape me, strengthen me, and teach me to love others from the overflow of Your grace. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Attribution: Inspired by “Because I Am Loved” by Lysa TerKeurst.