LOVE Part 1

Read with me, ‘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. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.

1 John 4:18 ,21

What does 1 John 4:18 & 21 mean for us today? We do not have to be afraid. We have a God that loves us to a degree that chases away our fears! It is amazing that He in the essence of who He is chose to give us this love, freely. Also, He loved us first, perfectly. His love driving out our fear is the great empowerment we need to love others. The purpose of our mission on earth is to love (1Tim 5). He came and loved us first, showing us exactly how to love others. It is to be understood that living a life with no fear is the greatest empowering element when it comes to loving people. Fearless love for others is one of the commandments He has given us; to love them, as we love God. We love Him as He loves us. Sometimes, that means loving them first, without reciprocation, unconditionally. Love them without the added element of fear as a driving force for their good behaviour. When we deliberately invoke fear and punishment, we have moved outside of the scope of perfect love and entered into the selfishness of control. There is no fear in love. IF we love the way God intended, we cannot strike fear into the hearts of others. It is one of the most rewarding aspects of life, to see the fear leave someone’s heart as you love them wholly. God is the Father who enable us to love like that, by loving us first. There is no fear involved when we allow Him to love on us, just as we are. It is often the fear that prevent us from approaching the Father, not realizing that in His perfect love is where we will find everything we need and long for. His love is perfect, not lacking in any good things.

Ephesians 4:2 -3 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

I love how scripture gives us answers and strategies to deal with everything in our daily lives. God has definitely provided us with solutions that are both workable and easy to understand. He loved us in a way that demonstrates the peculiar dynamic of loving someone without being loved in return, a love that is unconditional. Reading various passages we will see many divers topics that lend themselves to loving well. Ephesians helps us realise that often times loving others will reqire much humility, gentleness and patience from our side. Loving someone else first will require us to be humble enough to deny our own opinions, gentle enough to show them clearly they are loved regardless of differences, and patient enough to do it over and over again. This is the love of God we ought to demonstrate to others, a love that is patient, gentle, humble,kind, longsuffering, and always initiated from our side first.

Pray with me

“ Thank you God for your love that has been shed abroad in our hearts. Help me love see as You do, help me to love as You do. God I long to love as perfectly as you do, with patience, and kindness, and gentleness. Help me to pursue every opportunity to be love to those around me.”