Life and Death part 4
Heaven and hell. Life and death. Love... and fear. That's right. I said fear. Not hate. I don't think you can actually hate something that you don't, deep down, actually love. I think hatred is more the reaction to rejection than anything else. And when we see what love casts out--in 1 John 4:18--its not hate. Its fear. Because fear has torment. Fear keeps us bound up. Running FROM God (because we think He's mad at us), instead of running TO God. Fear keeps us from living. Because we're afraid of reaching out. Afraid of losing what we've got. Because we think if we give what we've got and don't get anything in return... then we'll have nothing. But let me quote 1 John 4:18 because there's a very important word we need to focus on: "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." And the word I want to focus on is "perfect." The first time it is used in our memory verse "perfect love" is number 5046 in Strong's Greek Concordance and it means, "complete." Complete love. Agape love. Sacrificial love. The love that gladly spends all it is and all it has even though it seems like the more we love the less we are loved. In other words, love doesn't worry about getting anything in return. Love is never about getting. Because love IS giving. Jesus, the perfect man, gave Himself for us, and to us. So that we could have Him. So that we could experience His abundant, everlasting, eternal, Resurrection Life of Love as He lives it in us, and through us, and as us. Life Himself died so that death could die. So that we could live. Truly live. So that we could live fearlessly. We don't have to be afraid. We don't have to be afraid of losing what we've got because we are connected to the limitless source--the God who IS love lives in us! And we don't have to be afraid of being disqualified. Revelation 21:3 in the Message Bible says, "I heard a voice thunder from the Throne: "Look! Look! God has moved into the neighborhood, making his home with men and women! They're his people, he's their God."" God moved in. And He's never moving out. He's right where He wants to be. Even when you're at your worst. The old country song says, "Daddys don't just love their children every now and then. Its a love without end. Amen." You can make mistakes. You can try things. You can--and should--learn and grow. Grow in grace and in the knowledge of Christ. Because the knowledge of Christ is the knoweldge of who you really are. And when you know who you really are you can stop trying to be someone you're not. You can stop jumping through hoops in order to try to earn something that can't be earned. You can embrace yourself. And once you do that you can embrace others. When you stop trying to change yourself you'll be able to stop trying to change others. You'll be able to just love them. And I'm not saying you should be a doormat, or a marshmellow, and let people walk all over you. There are some things that you should not stand for. If you don't stand for something you'll fall for anything. But its not your job to change people. To make them be who you think they should be. Its your job to live and let live. Let God love you and love the people you come into contact with. Receive and release His love. Don't be afraid to love. Don't be afraid to live. Living IS loving and loving is living!