“There
is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear” (1
John 4:18a, NIV).
There
is no perfect earthly love. Earthly love changes with circumstance
and changes with feeling. But there is a perfect spiritual love which
conquers fear, and lives in faith that God will take care of anything
that comes against it. This perfect love carries me safely through
all of life's struggles and heartaches. It never deserts me, and it
never changes. When this spiritual love is perfected in my life, it
brings greater faith to believe in the impossible. What is this
perfect love? It is the love of God who gave His son, Jesus Christ,
for me. If that is beyond my human capacity to understand, it is
suppose to be. I can't understand such a perfect love with my mind.
It is useless to try to analyze it. My mind can't fathom this depth
of sacrificial love, but my heart and soul can receive it.
The
only way to receive this perfect love that conquers fear is to allow
Christ into my heart. He loved me enough to die for my sin so I might
be set free from its control over me. He, who was perfect and knew so
sin, became sin, so it might be crucified forever it my life and I
might receive His perfect love. Fear
can only be defeated with His perfect love living in me. When I let
go of what is imperfect in me, I receive His love which washes away
all that I have been so I may receive all that He is. With His
perfect love in my life continually changing me, His love becomes
stronger in me and perfects me. Only His perfected love in my life
can drive out fear, and give me faith to believe. If I remain rooted
in His love and growing in His grace, perseverance will finish its
work so that I may be mature and complete, not lacking in anything
(James 1:4). I will be strong enough to choose faith over fear.
If
I am dealing with great fear, then His love has not been perfected in
me. My mind has been focused on my struggles, and my feelings have
pulled me away from His promised fullness of life. The Lord will keep
me in His perfect peace only when my mind remains on Him instead of
any circumstance (Isaiah 26:3). I cannot grow stronger on what I
“feel”. I can only become stronger on what “I know”. Today I
rejoice in the promise that His perfect love drives out all fear. It
truly does drive it out as His love is continually perfected in me.
That is my promise and that is my journey―to be perfected by the
Lord who gave all of His life for me.
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