"We need have no fear of someone who loves us perfectly; his perfect love for us eliminates all dread of what he might do to us. If we are afraid, it is for fear of what he might do to us and shows that we are not fully convinced that he really loves us. So you see, our love for him comes as a result of his loving us first." (1 John 4:18-19 TLB)
It could be argued that the one thing that will hinder a relationship more than anything else is fear. God's perfect love for us is meant to drive away all fear (being afraid). We're not meant to be afraid of Him. But from the very beginning, man has hidden from God even while God has relentlessly pursued a love relationship with man. Adam and Eve hid from God in fear and shame, even when He went out looking for them, and we often do the same.
This week we talk about how a view of God as a harsh, mean taskmaster who we are to be afraid of, is a faulty view of God. We're not meant to be afraid of God or what He'll do to us! What we should be entrenched in is not fear, but in the perfect love and acceptance of God. A relationship based upon love, not fear, is what life in Christ is about.
gigcast.graceroots.org
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