Day 32 – No Fear in Love
This is one of those verses that always seems a little hard for me to reach.
“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love” (1 John 4:18).
I think to myself, “I guess my love is not yet perfected, because I still struggle at times with fear!”
When I was a child, I was afraid of something lurking the dark. As a teenager, I was afraid of rejection. As an adult, I was afraid of failure. Do we ever completely flee our fears?
The past haunts us. The present troubles us. The future threatens us.
Among many possible ways to handle our fears, the apostle John suggests one: going deeper into the perfect love of God.
Of course, we fear God because we reverence him as the holy and Almighty God. But we are not afraid of him, because God is love.
The greater our grasp and experience of God’s love – his mercy, his compassion, his gentleness, his grace, his care, his tenderness, his forgiveness – the lesser our fears.
As Christ followers, since we are not afraid of the worst thing that could possibly happen to us – God’s punishment – we do not need to fear anything lesser either.
When I was a 19-year-old serving in the Philippines for ten months with social action, evangelism, preaching, and discipleship, I wrestled with many fears.
As I crawled under my mosquito net every night, I would crawl up into God and quote Isaiah 41:10: “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
And I would fall asleep in the strong love of God.
I was beginning to grasp and experience the perfect love of God. Quieting myself before my heavenly Father who loves me. Affirming the truths of God’s Word. Receiving and resting in God’s love.
I’m still going deeper.
Action Step: Do an online search for Bible verses on overcoming fear. Pick one and make it yours.
This is God’s Word for you today,
Pastor Dave
