Tuesday, March 31, 2015

"The Escape of Love"


    When tempted to fear, whether small, lingering insecurities (that are not really small in their effect), or in more immediate and intense challenges to be afraid, the Bible offers to born again believers the escape of love. 

    "God hath not give us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind" (II Timothy 1:7).

    Fear invites us to a place in our flesh wherein self-centeredness pervades and poisons the atmosphere with ignorance of God's promised Person, presence, power, and protection.  At the root of all insecurity, the unholy trinity of "I, Me and My" dominates, disturbs, and deceives.  Conversely, the Word of God invites us into the place of peace wherein God-centeredness governs the heart and mind.  "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee, because he trusteth in Thee" (Isaiah 26:3).  Rather than dwell upon ourselves and our fleshly feelings of insecurity, the Spirit of God leads and enables the focus on God and others that flows from His unselfish heart.  "The Lord is on my side, I will not fear" declared the Psalmist (Psalm 118:6).  New Testament believers proceed even further into the place of peace, affirming "The Lord dwells within my heart, I will not fear."  Moreover, we are "hid with Christ in God" (Colossians 3:3).  Thus, by faith we escape from fear and its narcissism into the peace of love and its devotion to God and others.

    The more we know the love of God for us, the love of God in us, and the love of God revealed by us unto others, the more we escape from the fleshly selfishness of fear to the Divine unselfishness of God's heart.  We must not coddle fear by failing to realize that it beckons us not merely to be insecure or afraid, but to be self-centered.  The love of the Lord Jesus rather beckons us to the peace of looking upward, outward, and away from ourselves unto the Lord and the needs of others.  This is peace, as promised and provided by the escape of love...

"There is no fear in love, but perfect love casteth out fear."
(I John 4:18)

Weekly Memory Verse
    Godliness with contentment is great gain.
(I Timothy 6:6)
  
   

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