There are some neat scriptures that I think we tend to look over without noticing this.
1 John 2:15 – 15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them.
Notice the last part of the scripture. It doesn’t say the Father won’t love him, it states that if anyone loves the world, their love for the Father is not there. God already loves us. When we read through the scriptures, it’s about what are we doing when it comes to loving God.
1 Corinthians 2:9 – 9 However, as it is written:
“What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard,
and what no human mind has conceived”—
the things God has prepared for those who love him—
Deuteronomy 7:9 – 9 Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments.
Romans 8:28 – 28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
James 1:12 – 12 Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.
James 2:5 – 5 Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him?
Not for those who God loved, but for those who love God. The ball is in our court. It’s in our court when it comes time to asking for forgiveness. The ball is in our court when it comes to repenting and turning away from our own sinful ways. It’s in our court in choosing to love God.