Instead of Fear

Reading: 1 John 4

"By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love." 1 John 4:17-19

Examination:

Fear carries with it a kind of torment that is its own punishment. Ironically, an unloving believer experiences punishment precisely because he feels guilty and always carries a sense of fear. Such fear prohibits a completed love, but a Christian who loves has nothing to fear.

Application:

Life is full of fears. Fear of death, fear of judgment, fear of loss, fear of being alone or fear of just about anything else. Matter of fact, most of what I do in life is motivated by some type of fear. I fear dying young, so I exercise. I fear failing at work, so I drive myself to accomplish much. I fear my kids growing up bad, so I strive to be a good parent. I fear being taken advantage of, so I protect what is mine. I fear and then I act to assuage the fear. Fear can be a good motivator, but is a terrible master.

I am sitting here this morning wondering how my life would be different if I moved away from fear as a motivator and looked towards love. What if I exercised because of my love for good health? What if I pushed myself hard at work because I loved honoring God with my labor? What if expressing love to my kids became the heart of all my discipline with them? What if giving freely of myself as an expression of love took the place of guarding myself?

Prayer:

The degree to which I know You is the degree to which love is expressed through me. That is the heart of what I feel You are trying to say to me today. I can only give out of what I possess, so I ask that You lead me today to understand the amazing power that is found in Your love for me. Make Your love real and tangible to me. Help me to understand that all my fears have been overcome. I am not longer subject to them.

Your word says that Your love is enough to cover anything I need. Your word also says that nothing can separate me from that love. Nothing. Nothing living or dead, nothing angelic or demonic, nothing in my life today or anything that can happen tomorrow, nothing thinkable or unthinkable - nothing can separate me from Your love.

Secure me in this truth today and lead me to live my life today in a manner that shares this love with a world who desperately needs it.