Where God’s love is, there is no fear, because God’s perfect love drives out fear. It is punishment that makes a person fear, so love is not made perfect in the person who fears. 1 John 4:18
This week we are focusing on love. Not love defined by the world, but love as defined by the person of love itself, God. 1 John 4:16 tells us God Himself is love! And without truly knowing Him and allowing Him to love us through His Holy Spirit, we are not capable of loving ourselves and others correctly. It is the “perfect love” that is spoken of in today’s verse. And that love confronts the spirit of fear head on. And according to this verse, literally drives fear away. Fear is the opposite of faith; fear causes us to be insecure and unsure of ourselves and if not dealt with can paralyze us. This will keep us from allowing ourselves to be used of God and fulfill His purposes. And that’s just what the enemy wants. This especially happens when we believe we are being punished by God for something we have done. The enemy makes us question God’s love for us. We ask ourselves things like; Why is this happening to me? What did I do to cause this?
The truth is, the word “punishment” here doesn’t mean in judgment. In the Greek it means a process, not merely an affect. It’s God’s perfect love working in us to bring us to help us become all He created us to be. This is the kind of love Jesus exemplified in the Garden of Gethsemane after the Last Supper when as He prayed He sweat drops of blood from the anguish of mind. He knew the kind of physical pain He would endure, He knew He would experience, rejection from those in the crowd and betrayal from His disciples (all except John), but most of all He knew when He would take on our sin, it would mean being separated from His Father. He didn’t like the thought of it as noted in the Scriptures where He asks if it’s possible, make another way. But He wasn’t afraid. Why you might ask? Because He knew how much God loved Him. His Father wouldn’t ask Him to do this unless it would bring the Father greater glory and He would be restored. Hebrews 12:2 reminds us that Jesus could see the joy on the other side of the cross and grave. How about you, can you see God’s love in your troubles working through some things in your life, to trust Him and to bring Him glory and help you change?
When we know that no matter what we are going through, God is there with you and He loves you just as much as He loves Jesus. When we rest in His unconditional love we can endure every trial and even embrace it because He promised to be with us in it, strengthening us so that that His will might be done and others will find Jesus as their Lord and Savior. There is no greater love, than the love of God.
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