Love has been boldly perfected in you. A brazen kind of love.
1 John 4:17-
Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is so are we in this world.
God has loved and does love you so much that He split the sky, crawled into an earth suit and became one of us. This extravagant love destroyed the timidity that man was held captive by.
Fear shrank in the face of this kind of love. It tucked its tail and whimpered away in despair. This love blasted away the arguments of worthiness, for not one was worthy. Except one. The only one.
The One Who Is Truly Worthy
Jesus. Our advocate. Our big brother. Defender of the weak.
Helper to the helpless.
Friend to the sinner.
Qualifier to the unqualified.
Perfection for the imperfect.
Healer of the broken. Answer of the heart.
Everything you did that stamped you guilty, He stamped guiltless. Accusations that slimed your name, He boldly stamped “Clean.” “Free.” “Innocent.”
He walks through the garden of your life. He sees you at birth, blesses all that you are destined to be.
He watches you play as a child. Your innocence threatened by doubt and unbelief. He sees you as you side step His best.
Weeps with you when you fall.
Believes in you so much more than you do.
Peels back the shame that has clouded the view from your heart. And in He comes. His love violently, but gently peeling away condemnation. Blasting away behavior modification that could never have saved you.
The only way to save you was to become you. To swallow up every sting of death and destruction meant for you. Meant for hell itself.
The Enemy of Fear
Fear is ferocious. Fear isn’t fickle. Fear is fostering every faint hearted decision we have ever made. Fear makes us run from love not to it. Fear is always a far cry from our faith. Fear and feeble hold hands like friends. Fear is always behind afraid.
Fear of man makes us freaking nuts. Freaks of nature is what we become if we fear love.
Love Invites Us
Love makes us whole. Love invites others into dine with us. Dine on life. Dine at the masters table right smack dab in the very craziness of life and love and fear and freaks.
This kind of love holds the stop sign up to life. This earth suit that held Jesus comes bursting in and demands our attention. Not loud and crazy like. More like a whisper… more like a song that only you can hear.
But when you hear it, it then becomes an orchestra. And the conductor begins to bounce all over your life and then what?
What then?
You’ve experienced love in an earth suit. He just moves in because He knows He is now welcome. You invite others in because you just must. Dinner parties, late night chats.
Questions you were afraid to ask come rolling off your tongue like you were waiting to ask about these things all your life. But you weren’t ready. When love came to you, there in that place, fear couldn’t stay.
Jesus Conquers Fear
Jesus was there and fear knew it. Fear packed up his act and high tailed it out because He lost His power over you. Fear lost his grip of control. Death no longer dominates over your life.
Love In An Earth Suit
Love has swallowed all of that up. He came in an earth suit and we didn’t even recognize him.
Don’t miss him because you didn’t see him. Looking love in the face will show you what He looks like. His love is bold, it’s fierce, it’s secure. It’s crazy and calming. It’s maddening and inviting.
Don’t fear his love, fear not knowing his love. And in the end be bold in it. Assured of it.
Now It’s Your Turn…
What Do You Think? I’d Love To Hear It!