You were dead through the trespasses and sins in which you once lived, following the course of this world, following the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work among those who are disobedient. All of us once lived among them in the passions of our flesh, following the desires of flesh and senses, and we were by nature children of wrath, like everyone else. But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ - by grace you have been saved - and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God - not the result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.

Without God, we are spiritually dead and utterly unable to meet the requirements of the divine law. We, as humans, are not without sin. God's incredible love for every one of us is unfathomable. Accompanied by this love is redemption, making it possible for human beings to be brought from death to life.
 
The grace that we receive from God is not a product of our good works. And thanks be to God for that, for I know when we fall short of the mark, that through faith, our God still loves us. Realizing that God loves us, no matter what, causes me to walk upright with ease, as a burden has been lifted from my shoulders. It is comforting to know that there's nothing we can do to make God love us any more than he already does, and there's nothing we can do to make God love us less. This doesn't mean that we should indulge in a smorgasbord of sin, but that we should do good deeds to worship God as we recognize him in each other.
 
We live in a world where we seem to be rewarded and loved only for our good deeds. Unconditional love is nearly unheard of, with the exception of man's best friend - the dog. I give thanks today and every day, knowing that God loves us unconditionally, no matter what.