June 24 - 1 John 4:16b-18. No fear.

June 24 - 1 John 4:16b-18. No fear.

God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. 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.

Even before the tragedy of September 11, 2011, we lived in a world filled with fear.  Gone were the days when we felt safe talking to strangers, or helping someone whose car had broken down on the side of the highway.  We spend more time worrying about who is out to get us than we do caring for complete strangers.

Fear of punishment? We’re certain that there is something we’ve done … somewhere in our past … that is going to catch up to us and heaven help us at that point because everyone will jump on that sin and try to destroy us.

When I was young, I was just sure that any slight misstep might land me in the girls correctional institute in Mitchellville (Iowa).  Mom had taken several Sunday School classes and youth groups to the boys institute in Eldora and to the prison in Anamosa.  There were a couple of boys that I had known as a child who had ended up in Anamosa as they grew older.  I had a terrible fear that through some awful mistake, and some horrible set of circumstances, I might end up in prison for something I had either never intended or honestly didn’t do.  (It probably didn’t help that my favorite reading genre at the time was the mystery novel.  Perry Mason held my heart!)

We are terribly fearful and one great fear is that of punishment … whether it is for something we chose to do, a mistake we made, or an incorrect accusation.  We simply don’t trust each other and we definitely don’t trust others to have our back when we need them, because for many of us … those relationships fall apart at the slightest sign of trouble.

That’s the glorious thing about the love of God flowing through His people.  That love is what casts out fear and causes people to step up in love when they are needed.  That pure love coming through our hearts from God is what sends us to Haiti to care for those whose lives have been turned upside down, or opens our homes to children who have no families, or brings us together as a group to unconditionally support a friend, or puts us in the serving line at a mission for the homeless.

There is only one thing that can turn aside fear and that is unconditional love. Love that cares nothing for the circumstances, but only for the person.  God’s love is that unconditional love.