The story is told of a little girl who was afraid in the middle of the night. She cried out for her mother, and when her mother came to her room the little girl said, “Mommy, I am afraid. I am in here all alone.” The mother smiled at the young lass and responded, “Honey, haven't I told you that you are not alone. Jesus is always with you. Jesus is here.” The little girl rose out of her bed, grabbed her dolly and said, “Well, then you stay here with Jesus. I'm going to sleep with daddy.” There is nothing like being afraid. Phobias are as abundant as a person could want, and most people have something of which they are afraid. We all have fears, and when it comes to the context of our readings from John the Apostle, judgment before God may be the greatest fear of all. John addresses our fears in our verse for today which is found in the book of First John in chapter four and verse eighteen. He wrote:
There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear: because fear hath torment. He that fears is not made perfect in love.
We have been learning about how much God the Father loves us, and His love towards us then leads to us loving others. Our love is being perfected by our relationship with God, and because of His Son Jesus' love toward us even in our sinful state, we now are learning to love others in the same manner. When we have this type of fellowship with God and others, we know God and His love abides within us. We dwell in God, and God dwells in us. God is love, and therefore love dwells within us.
Now John says, “there is no fear in love” and he lets us know that “perfect love casts out fear”. In other words, when we have God dwelling within us, we have nothing to fear. Even the judgment is nothing to fear because God has taken care of that issue. He “casts out fear: because fear has torment.” There is nothing so tormenting as fear. Fear is a real or perceived inability to handle a situation or object. Fear can grip us so tightly that we can hardly move. Just let a fearful situation occur such as a child who stays out too long at night, or a phone call at three o' clock in the morning, or a horrible letter giving notice about a law suit or foreclosure, and see how fear is very close by. However, our spiritual father, John the apostle, writes that we who are being perfected in love do not have to fear.
If we are constantly in fear, it simply identifies that our love is not made perfect as yet. John wrote, “He that fears is not made perfect in love.” The question today for all of us is, “What do we fear, and is that fear an indicator that we are not made perfect in love as yet?” If we are fearful today, no matter what that fear may be, then let us consider once again the mighty love of God that dwells within us, and nothing is more powerful than He.
Next time we shall take a look at a special precursor to us loving God, so read ahead, and we shall share together then.
Until tomorrow...there is more...
Look for the new devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation” in all major bookstore sites, www.amazon.com ; www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore
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