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 4:18-19
AW Tozer comments on the above stating, "If you love somebody, really love him, you’ll want to be good to them and to do good to them. You’ll never want any harm to come to them if you can help it. If I know a person loves me, I’m not afraid of them." The same can be said of God. His perfect love for us, drives all fear from us, IF, we truly believe and that's part of this journey, to know and believe God's true love which cast out all fear.
Charles Spurgeon had this to say, "before all time, when we find God loving us with an everlasting love, we gather that the reason of his choice is not because we loved him, but because he willed to love us. His reasons, and he had reasons (for we read of the counsel of his will), are known to himself, but they are not to be found in any inherent goodness in us, or which was foreseen to be in us. We were chosen simply because he will have mercy on whom he will have mercy. He loved us because he would love us."
God loved me and you before we were formed! It didn't have anything to do with our awesomeness, but because He wanted to. At times, it's so hard to believe that the Creator wants to love me and give me everything because I know all of my flaws and shortcomings! Thankfully, those flaws are covered by Jesus and His sacrifice.
Join me in reading 1 John 4 and let's continue this journey of learning how to love God with all our hearts and our neighbors as ourselves!
