Perfect Love

1 John 4:13-19

I don’t doubt God’s love for me.  I grew up saying, “I am a child of God,” and I confidently repeat those words often.  My difficulty arises in verse 16, “And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.”  I know God loves me, but I don’t always rely on it.  When I’m struggling, I tend to look for strength within myself, in others or in things.  I forget where my strength lies.

Maybe that’s why anxiety and fear have played a much larger role in my life than I’d like to admit. When I read in verse 18, “The one who fears is not made perfect in love,” it makes me cringe.  I know I’m not perfect and fear has taken over my heart on too many occasions, but I would like to be made perfect in love. I want the peace that God can bring. So, how does that happen?

The Message translation states, “Well-formed love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life is one not yet fully formed in love.”  Not YET fully formed – so there is hope.  It’s not too late!  God is working on me and doesn’t give up.  I believe he works on each of us every day.  Some days we get it and some days we don’t, but he loves us no matter what.  God is love and love doesn’t abandon.  One day we will be fully formed in love.

Jeremiah 29:13 talks about finding God when we seek him will all our heart. Father, I am your child.  Continue to transform me each day to know your love more and more.  Cast out my fears, so I may love you perfectly with my whole heart. Amen

Living a Life Worth Imitating - that's how!

Luke 14:25-35

The past two Sundays we have been examining the question, “What do you want to do, really?” Then, “Why do you want to do it?” Now we are asking ourselves, “How will you do it?”

With the first question, we examined our responsibilities.  One being to love God and the other to love each other. Once we understand this we know we want to share our faith with someone else. The response to the ‘why’ question is because we are God’s children, we are blessed and He loved us first.

Today it is time to make a plan, to figure out how to do these things that we, as Christians, really want to do. The answer is easy, the doing – not so much. We are called to live a life worth imitating. Since childhood, we have been challenged to lead by a good example.

Luke 14:25-27 (MSG)
One day when large groups of people were walking along with him, Jesus turned and told them, “Anyone who comes to me but refuses to let go of father, mother, spouse, children, brothers, sisters—yes, even one's own self! —can't be my disciple. Anyone who won't shoulder his own cross and follow behind me can't be my disciple.

Jesus is making the point that we must first love Him, live our life for His glory and never our own. When we worship a parent, spouse or child, we relinquish Jesus to second place and He can never be second in our hearts. A Disciple of Jesus loves Him first and foremost. All other love flows from this perfect love.

When we are lost, Jesus seeks us out leaving all others behind. That is the same type of love – boundless and undeserved love.