Love Conquers All

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

1 John 4:18

In the 15^th chapter of the gospel of John, the 13^th verse Jesus says, “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” The point that Jesus made is echoed in our focus verse today. Even in the midst of the garden of Gethsemane, when Jesus prayed (as He sweats drops of blood wishing) that the cup of the crucifixion and the separation between Him and God would pass; we see that due to His love, He endured the cross and all the torment that came with it… What do you mean when you tell someone I love you? What is it that that person is supposed to understand about you and how you feel toward them? John informs us of the true meaning of love today, the fact that it outweighs fear and will cause you to become fearless… If a parent sees their child walk into a street with a  car approaching, they will risk their lives to save their child. If a house is burning down, a parent will overlook the flames to get their children out safely… This is the kind of love that John is speaking about today; true love gives you the ability to look beyond circumstances to fulfill or satisfy the needs of another… To say you love someone means that you are able to look beyond the flaws; you are able to look beyond the shortcomings and open yourself up for that person… 

The first part of this scripture tells us that there is no fear in love; a lot of us claim to be children of God and say we love Him, but John is reminding us that if you love God you trust Him and turn your life over to Him… A lot of us have been held captive for far too long by fear and John says fear will torment, fear will keep you down, it will keep you suffering, and it will keep you distressed and continue to drown you in your sorrows… Notice John says “perfect love” (only the love from above) will cast out fear… You can’t waver back and forth and expect to overcome, you can’t take a step forward and take a step back and expect to grow or move forward in life… When you trust God, when you lean not to your own understanding, when you cut off some people or things in your life, you will begin to see that “perfect love” manifested in your life. You will also notice over time that the Love that only God gives will cast out the fears you once had… 

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!