1 John 4:18There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.
Love is the absolute best weapon there is against fear. As Fist John chapter four stated there is no fear in love. If we learn to operate in love, Godly love, then we won't have anything left to fear. Most of us don't truly know what love is. I thought I did until God showed me. True love is unconditional. We as Christians are commanded to love everyone like this.
Leviticus 19:18
You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.
The truth is that we cannot truly love anyone until we learn to love ourselves. If we hate ourselves then how can we expect to be able to love our neighbors as ourselves? I'm sure it would set a great example of Christ if we just beat up the next person we see. Yes I'm being sarcastic but people do beat themselves up daily. Mentally of course but still we have to forgive ourselves as Christ has forgiven us and move on. We should begin to see ourselves as he sees us. A child of the living God.
Even if we are hard on ourselves sometimes we still know how to love. Most of us think of ourselves more than we would think of a total stranger. I challenge you though to think of at least one person this week more than yourself. I don't mean your wife or kids or even your friends but someone you don't know. Spend a few extra dollars and buy a meal for the person behind you next time you're in a fast food line/drive through. Show God's love in some way to someone. Selfishness is one of the topics I have for later discussion so go ahead and get a head start on your way to becoming selfless. It makes being fearless in your faith a whole lot easier.
Matthew 5:43-48
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? 48 Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.
Luke 6:27-36
27 “But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you. 29 To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also. And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either. 30 Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back. 31 And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.
32 “But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back. 35 But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil. 36 Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.
As I stated earlier we have to love everyone unconditionally. Even your enemies. This seems like an impossible task for some but I assure you it's entirely necessary. Not only that but once you do your experience in life will be so much greater than you could ever imagine.
Do not think that I ask you to do something that I won't do because I have been tested in this as well. I won't go into too much detail but two people come to mind. One person from elementary school who used to bully me I showed kindness to and he ended up being a good friend of mine. The other was a good friend of mine who ended up bullying me along with some of his other friends but I didn't turn my back on him. We remained friends for many more years.
I can't stress enough the importance of love in our walks as Christians. We should be an example of God's love to the world. How do you think he feels when someone dies that didn't know him? How about what he feels when someone does something that is wrong or dishonest? Better yet how about if one of his children did such an action. I can tell you it's not even comparable to anything we can experience on earth. If he loves everyone that much and we're supposed to be like him then how can we not love everyone as much as he does?
It's a difficult concept I understand but God sees us all the same he is no respecter of persons. All sin is equal in his eyes even though to us it seems like murdering someone is far worse than lying about something so why should we not allow everyone the chance to enter heaven?
Of all the books of the Bible I think 1 Corinthians 13 spells out love the best of all. There is no better summation I could write that would be any better than this:
1 Corinthians 13:1-7
Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.
4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
1 John 4:8
He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
1 John 4:16
And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.
So if one doesn't have love and God is love than how can one be saved without it? Such is the same with fearless faith. Without love you have nothing. To put it another way, If we don't learn to love like God loves we'll never learn to conquer fear. We have to forgive and love no matter what. It is not our place to judge or to punish. Only to love.
Romans 12:
19 Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 Therefore
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
If he is thirsty, give him a drink;
For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.”21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.Deuteronomy 32:35Vengeance is Mine, and recompense;
Their foot shall slip in due time;
For the day of their calamity is at hand,
And the things to come hasten upon them.’
I suppose you could look at these next two scriptures from two different lights. One being that God's love covers all our sins. The other being that if we love one another instead of continuously being angry with one another we will save ourselves from committing a multitude of sins. I believe that if we can truly learn to walk in love that we will no longer struggle with sin.
Proverbs 10:12Hatred stirs up strife,
But love covers all sins.And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.”1 Peter 4:8
John 21:15-17
15 So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?”
He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.”
He said to him, “Feed My lambs.”
16 He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?”
He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.”
He said to him, “Tend My sheep.”
17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?”
And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.”
Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep.
I bring this scripture up because I just wanted to reiterate the true meaning of the word love. In our society today we use it so much that it has become nearly meaningless. We use it more to say we like something than truly love it. The love a sweet toothed person has for a confection is nothing compared to the love that God has for each and every one of us. I've heard a sermon preached on this passage of scripture in which peter used different terms for what we call love. It wasn't until Jesus asked him the third time did he truly understood. His final response was Agape. If my knowledge serves me right this was the strongest word for love that the language had. We must strive to be intentional in love and allow God to show us just what it means and how to truly love like he loves.
God had to teach me this love. It wasn't easy to learn but he showed me just how easy it can be. I could've read this blog one hundred times before and wouldn't have truly understood so I ask that when you start this journey into the love of God that you ask him to show you as he has shown me.
I'll leave you with one last scripture. God gave us the spirit of love. We are capable of forgiving and loving the same way God does. We are made in his image and capable of reflecting his light across the world. Matthew 6:15 as well as 18:35 and Mark 11:26 says that if we cannot forgive then we cannot be forgiven. It takes love to forgive.
2 Timothy 1:7
For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
Great stuff.. your really fleshing this out..
ReplyDeletehere in an interesting wrench in words .. so to speak .. that I think is worth 'chewing' on as well
http://sammyadebiyi.com/blogs/sammy-adebiyi/terrible-advices-bible-part-1
That article does bring up a very important point. I never really saw that scripture in that light until reading it but that is exactly the point I was trying to make.
DeleteGranted I did fall into that same trap that many of us do because that's the way I was taught. We can't Love others if we're too busy spending all of our time, money, and whatever else we have to spend all on ourselves.
One other addition I have to what I wrote already are these scriptures:
Ezekiel 33:11 Say to them: ‘As I live,’ says the Lord God, ‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?’
Ezekiel 18:32 For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies,” says the Lord GOD. “Therefore turn and live!”
This just helps make my point when I was talking about how God feels when someone that doesn't know him dies. It is his will that none should perish but that all should have eternal life.
Romans 5:6-8
ReplyDelete6 For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
I don't know how I missed this one but this is another scripture that perfectly explains God's love. While we were vile, ungodly, evil creatures he died for us.
What would it take for us to show this kind of love for someone else? Someone that has despised us, deceived us, or hurt us beyond compare. If you cannot do this then you do not yet know God's perfect love. It's a hard test to pass but when you finally do it opens up a whole new understanding. It's easy to say but much harder to do.
We shouldn't rejoice when the wicked perish. Just like in Ezekiel 18 and 33 we should be like God. It's a truly sad day when someone that doesn't know him dies. For in that death is the end of all hope. I know it's hard to care about someone that doesn't deserve it but remember we were once in their shoes and God chose to have compassion for us and bestowed grace and mercy. Shouldn't we do the same?
I'm not saying that criminals should be absolved of their crimes because we must all reap what we have sown. I just ask that we all begin to see the world through God's eyes. Then maybe we'll begin to show compassion for every person on the planet. Just like he does. We should love so much that even as they draw their last breaths here on earth we are there offering forgiveness and a hand to salvation no matter what they have done to us.
As I said in my post. I have been tested. I have an understanding of God's love even if it's not to the fullest extent. I pray that I and all who read this will never have to be tested to the fullest extent of showing God's love but I know that if I ever do I will be able to pass that test.