For the Love of God

Love. It is such a simple word, yet at the same time it can seem so complex. But, is it really? There seems to be a difference between human love and God-given love. Human love has strings attached and is not all-abiding. Love given by God is eternal and exists whether it is deserved or not. A good ministry is found on God's love.

Today I wrote an email to someone I love and I shared some confused thoughts in a way that might not seem all-loving, but were not meant to harm. Then tonight, as I was reading through 1 John, I came across chapter 4, verse 18 which reads, "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." I realized that it is because of the love this person shares towards me, that I was able to write my true thoughts and feelings, because I did not fear the person's response. Which then made me think about how much more vulnerable we are with those we love and how we often hurt the people we love the most by the things we say, and I began to wonder, how much this has to do with the fact that we feel safe in that person's love and so we have no fear of being rejected and so we're willing to take the risk to be real, because we're committed to working it out and loving each other.

Then I reflected on a conversation I had just moments ago with another friend about ministry. This friend commented on how when they were at the point where their human love was about to run out, God sent a quick reminder of His love, so that they were filled and able to share His love which is eternal. Perfect love casts out fear. Love that is perfect continues, even once our human love with its limitations and boundaries runs out.

Whew! I'm tired. I'll stop there, but I beg you to keep exploring this thought by reading through 1 John and seeing what God has to say to you there.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Excellent post! :-)
10:37 PM
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