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1 John 4:18 - When Love Is Your Motivation, There Is No Fear.1 John 4:18 (ESV) There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.1 John 4:18 (NCV) 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. INTRODUCTION If we ever are afraid of the future, eternity, or God's judgment, we can remind ourselves of God's love. We know that he loves us perfectly (Romans 8:38, 39). We can resolve our fears first by focusing on his immeasurable love for us, and then by allowing him to love others through us. His love will quiet your fears and give you confidence. [Life Application SB] COMMENTARY PEARL Love is the basis of godliness. Whatever the profession, no man has pure love to God unless he has unselfish love for his brother. But we can never come into possession of this spirit by trying to love others. What is needed is the love of Christ in the heart. When self is merged in Christ, love springs forth spontaneously. The completeness of Christian character is attained when the impulse to help and bless others springs constantly from within--when the sunshine of heaven fills the heart and is revealed in the countenance. It is not possible for the heart in which Christ abides to be destitute of love. If we love God because He first loved us, we shall love all for whom Christ died. We cannot come in touch with divinity without coming in touch with humanity; for in Him who sits upon the throne of the universe, divinity and humanity are combined. Connected with Christ, we are connected with our fellow men by the golden links of the chain of love. Then the pity and compassion of Christ will be manifest in our life. We shall not wait to have the needy and unfortunate brought to us. We shall not need to be entreated to feel for the woes of others. It will be as natural for us to minister to the needy and suffering as it was for Christ to go about doing good. {COL 384} COMMENTARY Fear and Love Don't Mix Water and wax don't mix. But did you also know that if you try to put out a burning candle with water, especially if it is in a jar with burning wax, you could get hurt? Like tossing water onto a pan of burning oil on your stove, you should never dump water onto a burning candle. It may spread the flames and potentially burn you. Two things in today's Bible promise also don't mix - fear and love. This is not referring to how every Christian is encouraged to walk "in the fear of the Lord" (Acts 9:31), which means to show reverential awe toward God. Rather, John is speaking of a fainthearted, cowardly fear. How is it that "perfect love casts out fear"? When we know God's love and, by faith, we receive His love, we no longer live in fear, for we know, "If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31). Our focus is no longer on ourselves but on our loving Creator. We do not run away from a God who we think wants to torment us, but we run toward a compassionate Savior who wants to protect us. When we receive God's love in our hearts, it turns our cowardly fear into reverential fear for the Lord. David writes of this type of fear, "The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever" (Psalm 19:9). Such fear will not harm you but will keep you safe from evil. (See Matthew 10:28.) You can live a courageous life when you receive God's perfect love into your heart. It will keep you from burning yourself with unnecessary distress. My Father in heaven, I receive Your pure and protecting love into my heart. Thank You for casting out all fear. [The Most Amazing Bible Promises by Amazing Facts] God's Love Frees You to Love Fearlessly Are your relationships characterized by freedom or by fear? If you're like most people, you find yourself in a dilemma: You long to be close to other people, but you also fear being close. You want the freedom of intimacy with others, but you're also scared to death of it. Fear often causes a battle for control in relationships. When you're afraid, you're insecure. And insecurity makes you try to control others - and resist efforts to be controlled! As a result, you can't get close to other people because you're just battling back and forth for control. So insecurity prevents intimacy and destroys your relationships. If insecurity destroys relationships, then what builds them? Love! Love builds relationships. The Bible says in 1 John 4:18, "Love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, this ... shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love" (NLT). Love expels fear by taking the focus off of you and putting it on others. People often ask me, "Do you ever get nervous when you're talking to a lot of people at Saddleback?" The answer is, "Of course!" But here's what makes the difference: I take the focus off of myself and focus on the people in front of me instead. If I stood there thinking about what they thought of my hairstyle or my way of speaking, I would be afraid. But the minute I start thinking about how much I love my church family, the fear leaves. It's the same in any relationship. Focusing on the other person gives you the power to throw fear out of your life. How do you find that power to focus on other people? You start by realizing how much God loves you. The moment you begin to understand how much God loves you, you don't have to prove yourself anymore. Because you're secure in God's love, you don't have to spend your life trying to impress other people. Do you know how freeing and enjoyable it is to live life that way? When you're secure in your relationship with Christ, you're no longer pressured by everyone else's expectations. Your identity and self-worth are in Christ - not in what others might think of you. God's love frees you to love others fearlessly. [Daily Devotional by Rick Warren: https://pastorrick.com/devotional/] The last few months, I've been waking up at 3:00 a.m., wide awake. I mull over unfinished work, college tuition bills, and mistakes I've made that day or over my lifetime. Then I worry about my boys. How is Addie really doing? At fifteen, he likes to keep his thoughts to himself. Do Jack and Will have everything they need at college? My wondering jumps to catastrophe thinking. They haven't texted in a while. What if something happened to them? These early-morning thoughts have a way of spiraling into worry and fear. I've started combating these anxiety-producing thoughts with words of truth. I let myself be lulled back to sleep by remembering the themes of hope-filled sermons, reciting the truth of scripture, and singing lyrics of worship songs in my mind. The enemy of my soul would like me to feel alone and afraid, apprehensive about life, but I invite the love of Jesus to surround me. In Him I am completely loved and made perfect in His love. He is my Protector and Provider. In Jesus's presence, I have no fear. None. And with those calming thoughts, I can sleep soundly. Susanna Foth Aughtmon Faith Step: What keeps you up at night? Combat the worries and fears that crowd your mind with the hope and truth of Jesus. Write out 1 John 4:18-19 on a note card and memorize it. Repeat it in your mind the next time worry won't let you sleep. [Mornings With Jesus 2024 Devotional by Guideposts and Zondervan] LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY 1 John 4:18 - When Love Is Your Motivation, There Is No Fear. https://www.abible.com/devotions/2023/20231229-0823.html 1 John 4:18 - Love and Fear Do Not Mix! https://www.abible.com/devotions/2022/20220718-0848.html http://www.abible.com/devotions/2020/20201208-1106.html Isaiah 43:7 - Made for His Glory. https://www.abible.com/devotions/2022/20220727-0857.html Romans 8:15 - No Longer Fearful Slaves But Joyful Children Of God. https://www.abible.com/devotions/2022/20220618-1002.html 2 Corinthians 7:1 - Which Will It Be? https://www.abible.com/devotions/2020/20200502-1308.html John 3:16 - LOVE SUPREME! http://www.abible.com/devotions/2021/20211206-0816.html LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT https://abible.com/links/ |