Perfect LOVE

There is no fear in love. But perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.  1 John 4:18

God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them. Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness on the day of judgment, because as He is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.

Think of this, Jesus could sleep through the fury of the storm on that sea because He was so filled with love that He was fearless. It was His love that calmed the storm. His love is the power of God that saves, heals, and brings wholeness and peace.

Love’s opposite is fear. When we accept God’s acceptance of us in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we receive the gift of faith. By faith through grace, Christ sets us free from the powers of sin and death. Fear is an emotion that arises from a need to keep us protected from the unknown.  Following is a short story. The author's name is unknown to me. If you do come across, kindly let me know. So I could acknowledge the same. 

Several generations ago, during one of the most turbulent of the desert wars in the Middle East, a spy was captured and sentenced to death by a general of the Persian army. The general, a man of intelligence and compassion, had adopted a strange and unusual custom in such cases. He permitted the condemned person to make a choice. The prisoner could either face the firing squad or pass through the Black Door.

As the moment of the execution drew near, the general ordered the spy to be brought before him for a short, final interview, the primary purpose of which was to receive the answer of the doomed man to the query: “What shall it be – the firing squad or the Black Door?” This was not an easy decision and the prisoner hesitated, but soon made it known that he much preferred the firing squad to the unknown horrors that might await him behind the ominous and mysterious door.

Not long after, a volley of shots announced that the grim sentence had been fulfilled. The general, staring at his boots, said to his aide, “You see how it is with men; they will always prefer the known way to the unknown. It is characteristic of people to be afraid of the undefined. Yet I gave him his choice.”

“What lies behind the Black Door?” asked the aide. “Freedom,” replied the general, “and I’ve known only a few brave enough to take it.”

We often want to know what will happen tomorrow. When David was captured by the Philistines, David did not know what the future held. Fear began to rise from within. But in his fear, he turned to the one constant in his life – GOD. Love the lord your God with all your heart. And have a complete confidence and trust in God.

For God has not given us the Spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. 11 Timothy 1:7

God is a God of love. We do not have to have fear or worry or anxiety of any kind. Instead of a Spirit of fear, we have been given a Spirit of power, of love, and of a sound mind. When we have fear, we have a certain kind of thought process that results in that fear.

Fear is overcome when we love God and trust God. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13

Keep GOD first place. Trust in God always. 

Let Jesus be your still, calm place in the midst of the storm. Let Him be the ground of your being, your life, your reality so that when the world throws its worst your way, you will be able to stand and even thrive. This is MY PRAYER FOR YOU.