THERE IS NO FEAR IN LOVE

Good morning, Beloved. For a long time I found the scripture "There is no fear in love. But perfect love casts out fear . . ." from I John 4:18a) very confusing. It just didn't make sense.

The rest of the verse didn't help that much either -- " . . . because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love." Fear and insecurity were rife in my life. I thought of God as benevolent, but did not know God's love in deep-down, personal ways.

Digging deeper into the Bible to try to understand the passage, I saw that the whole thought is contained in 1 John 4:17-18, and I like the way it is portrayed in Eugene Peterson's rendition of the Bible called "The Message" -- "God is love. When we take up permanent residence in a life of love, we live in God and God lives in us. This way, love has the run of the house, becomes at home and mature in us, so that we’re free of worry on Judgment Day—our standing in the world is identical with Christ’s. There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life—fear of death, fear of judgment—is one not yet fully formed in love."

But God is so good and so faithful. In John 14:27, Jesus says, "Let not your heart be troubled. Neither let it be afraid." I think that in John's first letter He is explaining what Jesus said in a deeper way out of John's life and faith.

The more I got to know the Lord and the more I came to be able to rust Him, the more I understood that I was loved and cared for completely. Fears and insecurities were conquered by the fullness of love that continues to grow in my heart.

This is the key to faith -- that when we trust the Lord and come to know that He is LOVE, and live out that love in our lives, we no longer are afraid or worried. We become secure in His love, grace and mercy.

My prayer for you today and always, Beloved, is that you will continue to open your heart to the possibility and reality of that LOVE.