Perfect Love...
1 John 4:18 “Where God’s love is, there is no fear because God’s perfect love casts out all fear. It is punishment that makes a person fear, so love is not made perfect in the person who fears.” (NCV)
The word “cast” has been ringing in my head the last couple weeks.
One of my all time favorite verses (1 Peter 5:17 NIV) says to “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”
Uhhh… That’s not easy. See, I can quote that verse. I can have a poster in my room up with that verse written a million times all over it. I can do a million things! I can know the truth behind that verse.
But casting your cares is hard!
I have a really bad habit of casting them, then taking them back. Like, “Yo Jesus, you can have all my hopes, dreams and future. Just let me have it back when I’m scared.”
So I take back my cares.
Then I realize that I’m stupid, and give back my cares.
Then I take them back again.
Then I give them back again.
Then… It’s literally a never ending, extremely frustrating cycle.
Sometimes I wonder if I fear giving God my all, because I’m afraid of what he will do with it.
I mean, for real. Think of all the people in the Bible who gave Christ their all. They all ended up dead. (To put it bluntly.)
But perfect love casts out all fear.
(PS: we are all gonna die anyway. So we might as well live fearlessly and die with the righteous.)
Perfect love casts out fear of failing. It casts our fear of falling. It casts out all fear.
Thus, perfect love should cast out the fear of casting your cares!
God listens. He listens to our fears, our hopes, our dreams, and our pains. He loves us, with a perfect love. A love that casts out all fears.
Perfect love casts out fears.
As I was thinking and praying about this blog post, I was thinking about a human love. Because (well duh...) we are humans and we long to be loved, and we really want to be loved.
A perfect love isn’t going to be a fearful one. If you feel fearful about your relationship or your future together, everyday and every time you are ever together, than it’s probably not true love.
(Sorry to break it to you. And please know that I am not an expert on any of this stuff, that’s just what I think.)
I feel like I have to say this. It’s not something that I feel comfortable saying, or something I feel like I’m qualified to say, but I think I should, so I’m gonna.
If you fear your significant other because they hurt you either physically or verbally on a regular basis, you need to get out.
I know there are places that you can go for help.
That is not true love.
In a relationship that is fueled by true love, you will not be constantly fearing that person--or the actions of that person.
Like I said, I am probably the least qualified human ever to say that. I’ve never dated (and don’t plan on it for a while…) and the most I know about love is watching my parents and falling in love with my Creator ever day.
(I’m sitting here wondering why I decided to say that…But you know what? I'm just going to leave it, and pray that it impacts someone out there. Dearest someone out there: I'm praying for you, and that my words would stop being my words and be more like God's words. Also, that you would have the wisdom to do what is right, and stand for what is right.)
Rachel Joy
The word “cast” has been ringing in my head the last couple weeks.
One of my all time favorite verses (1 Peter 5:17 NIV) says to “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”
Uhhh… That’s not easy. See, I can quote that verse. I can have a poster in my room up with that verse written a million times all over it. I can do a million things! I can know the truth behind that verse.
But casting your cares is hard!
I have a really bad habit of casting them, then taking them back. Like, “Yo Jesus, you can have all my hopes, dreams and future. Just let me have it back when I’m scared.”
So I take back my cares.
Then I realize that I’m stupid, and give back my cares.
Then I take them back again.
Then I give them back again.
Then… It’s literally a never ending, extremely frustrating cycle.
Sometimes I wonder if I fear giving God my all, because I’m afraid of what he will do with it.
I mean, for real. Think of all the people in the Bible who gave Christ their all. They all ended up dead. (To put it bluntly.)
But perfect love casts out all fear.
(PS: we are all gonna die anyway. So we might as well live fearlessly and die with the righteous.)
Perfect love casts out fear of failing. It casts our fear of falling. It casts out all fear.
Thus, perfect love should cast out the fear of casting your cares!
God listens. He listens to our fears, our hopes, our dreams, and our pains. He loves us, with a perfect love. A love that casts out all fears.
Perfect love casts out fears.
As I was thinking and praying about this blog post, I was thinking about a human love. Because (well duh...) we are humans and we long to be loved, and we really want to be loved.
A perfect love isn’t going to be a fearful one. If you feel fearful about your relationship or your future together, everyday and every time you are ever together, than it’s probably not true love.
(Sorry to break it to you. And please know that I am not an expert on any of this stuff, that’s just what I think.)
I feel like I have to say this. It’s not something that I feel comfortable saying, or something I feel like I’m qualified to say, but I think I should, so I’m gonna.
If you fear your significant other because they hurt you either physically or verbally on a regular basis, you need to get out.
I know there are places that you can go for help.
That is not true love.
In a relationship that is fueled by true love, you will not be constantly fearing that person--or the actions of that person.
Like I said, I am probably the least qualified human ever to say that. I’ve never dated (and don’t plan on it for a while…) and the most I know about love is watching my parents and falling in love with my Creator ever day.
(I’m sitting here wondering why I decided to say that…But you know what? I'm just going to leave it, and pray that it impacts someone out there. Dearest someone out there: I'm praying for you, and that my words would stop being my words and be more like God's words. Also, that you would have the wisdom to do what is right, and stand for what is right.)
Rachel Joy