Perfect Love Drives Out Fear !

1 John 4: 16 God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. 17 In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. 18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
19 We love because he first loved us. 20 If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. 21 And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.

Fear is crippling. Fear changes our focus, it dictates where we go and what we do. It very often keeps us from living as God would want us to. You know the folks that spend all their time in fear over what they are eating, how they are cooking etc, and there are folks that are in fear of anything that might go bump in the night. There are some that fear rejection, some that fear attention and we all know the list can go on and on. But, in the verse above, it says "perfect love drives out fear". And then it says...even in what seems to be an even stronger sentence, " the one who fears is not made in perfect love." Ouch !!!! Fear is the motivation for many actions we take. So whats wrong that so many are so filled with fear ? Even when we attack another, not physically attack per say, but even attack them verbally or by email, the attack almost always comes from the house of fear. We tremble if someone knocks at these fragile walls we call our certainties, because we decided long ago that certainties might just help us with our fears. The only thing wrong with that is there are no certainties in life beyond the one that God loves us but that never seems to be enough for us. We want more than that. Guarantees of some sort. What if we decided God was all we needed for security ? We would be filled with more love and compassion than we can imagine. It wouldn't matter to me if someone didn't like my decorating style. It wouldn't matter to me if someone had more money than me. It wouldn't matter what foods to eat, surely God would lead me in the right direction since he loves me so much. I could find confidence in hearing what He wants me to do. It wouldn't be my worry. Ahhhh, I get it now..... I would be living exactly like Jesus says in

Matthew 6: 25 "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
28 "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Perfect love drives out fear and fear is the root of worry ! What so many of us are looking for in seeking out a simple life is to live with less fear and less worry and it seems there is only one solution for that and its not in hanging clothes on the line or making your own soap....its in understanding what perfect love God has for us and how in turn we will have perfect love for all those around us, even our enemies or those folk we simply don't like to be around. Simple living is about life without fear. We may start to feel less fearful with a simple life that is made up of living less dependant on stores or society, but without understanding that perfect love from God and feeling it to our core, then we will find something to be fearful about.

When it comes right down to it, no matter what some say....it is all about a feeling. Perfect Love !