If love means being fearless, why do we so often fear trusting one another in love?
As stated in 1 John 4:18, when our love is perfected through Christ, there is nothing to fear.
Afraid to love
Fear can cause us to miss out on a lot of great things in this life. Fear of falling keeps a child from climbing the monkey bars on the playground. Fear of rejection keeps a teen boy from asking anyone out. Fear of failure keeps a college graduate in a dead end job despite their newly acquired knowledge. Fear of loneliness keeps a woman in a toxic relationship. Fear of death…well, that one gets all of us doesn’t it?
Just as the verse says fear torments. It taunts and teases us with all kinds of ugly endings that may never ever happen, BUT we fear them anyway.
Fear is one of Satan’s tools to draw us away from God. Mentally, he keeps us from growing in “spirit and truth” and therefore binds us with fear.
He is the proverbial monkey on our backs, however, he can only hang on if we LET HIM. We have the power because Christ is in us. We can be fearless through Christ’s power in us!
Perfect Love recipe
Now look at those last four words – “made perfect in love”. The love of Jesus Christ covers over our imperfections so that we are perfect my friend! Is that not something to be excited and joyful about?
If you have believed on Jesus for salvation you are perfect in God’s sight!
Amazingly, completely perfect! Not humanely possible I know. This is supernatural stuff right here!
You may think, “Well, if I am perfect, why do I suffer, why do I experience trials”? Looking at the word perfect as the world looks at perfection renders an inaccurate view of things. In Christ we are perfect. Yet we are currently living in a fallen world full of sin. Trials and suffering will come. The fear that generally comes with it though does not have to plague you.
Your trust in Jesus casts out that fear replacing it with His love. Perfection inside your soul though chaos rolls around you. Fearless living through fearful storms. That is what the verse is getting at…not perfect lives with no problems.
Perfect love casting out fear and all that comes with it from inside us. Doubt. Bitterness. Anger. Sorrow. Replacing fear with love brings peace, comfort, and joy…beyond understanding and so wonderfully sweet! Are you ready to live fearless being “made perfect in love”?
