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10-19-09 (Perfect Love)
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Stephanie McIver
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Oct 19, 2009 10:21 PDT
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Steph's Stuff
10-19-09
(Perfect Love)
Love makes the world go round. Well, maybe not so much any more. Love
has been sought since the beginning of time, but over the years it has
become more and more intangible. We know we want it, but we're not
really sure what that means. We've given our hearts and been hurt. We
given our hearts and been rejected. We've trusted in love and it has
let us down. And He tells me, "Love is NOT what let you down. There
was an illusion, a misconception of what love is--but there is a perfect
love that is often misunderstood, overlooked or forgotten. I want to
teach you about THAT kind of love. And I want you to know that kind of
love so that you can GIVE that kind of love. That is my lesson for you
today. I see love differently than the world does. I invented it, you
know."
I realize that, not only did He invent it, He gave us an insatiable
hunger for it, a hunger we are born with. We need love because we were
created in His image--and His image IS love. The path to find it isn't
easy, but it is definitely there and if we are looking, it will reveal
itself to us. Look at the reason why:
We love because he first loved us.
Why DID He love us first? I know that I'm not all that
lovable--especially in the hours where I cried out to Him desperately
and said, "Enough is enough! I give! Help me, Lord! I can't do it on
my own--and I don't deserve You, but I need You. Nothing else will do.
No one else can do it--I have to stop putting my faith and trust in
human beings--because they're JUST LIKE ME. I can't do it. Neither can
they. Will You love me enough to teach me how to be like You? Will You
teach me how to really love?
"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. 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. We love because he first loved us." 1 John 4:17-19 (NIV)
Doesn't that sound good? To have complete confidence on the day of
judgment? How can that be? My confidence in my own personal holiness
is non-existent. Do I deserve to be punished? You bet I do. So do
you. We all do. But we are looking at things through our own
understanding, not perfect love. We are looking at things with
fear--and perfect love DRIVES OUT fear! Fear is not from Him. Love is
from Him. Forgiveness and grace? From Him. Eternity with everything
we would EVER need or want--more than we can even imagine in a thousand
lifetimes? From Him. Acceptance and delight and joy? From Him. I
could go on, but I won't. I think you get the picture.
When the enemy tries to overcome your joy and peace, he usually does it
through fear. I don't know about you, but I've spent a lot of years
developing and strengthening those fear muscles. They're big--and
sometimes they're bulging. They aren't good muscles. I need to let
them go and work on the muscles of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. They're my 'fruit
muscles' and when they are used, the fear one shrivels up and blows
away.
If I want to be a perfect member of His body, I need to learn perfect
love. If I want to learn perfect love, I need to listen to Him. I need
to study His truth. I need to LET Him be my friend--and the perfect
lover of my soul.
We are in this life, in this time, by His design. He loves us--and it
was His decision long before we even knew we needed Him. The path we
walk is necessary. He has worked it to bring us to His kingdom at the
proper time and to bring others along as He equips us to show them what
He is showing us.
Perfect love. Not condemnation. Not punishment. Not fear.
Will you be on the lookout for perfect love today?
Fondly,
Stephanie
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