1 John 4:16-19 (New International Version)
And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.
God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.
In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him.
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 4:16-19
It's no secret to most of us that life is full of struggles. Personally, I have plenty--from controlling my temper (thankfully much less of a problem than in my younger days!), to patience (especially with our current influx of leaf-gazing tourists--or as well call 'em, "foreigners"). Like most people, I probably mis-evaluate my own shortcomings, but if you ask me, I'm likely to say that loving people isn't one of my struggles.
Truth be known, though, love is never quite as easy as we make it sound. The way we toss "love" and related words about makes it seem like a foregone conclusion that we love people, but God's Word exposes a much deeper--and far more challenging--view of love. In light of Jesus' example, we see a standard for love that is intimately bound with sacrifice and enmeshed with a willingness to overlook justice in favor of compassion. It's a high mark, and if we're honest with ourselves, we know at times we all fall short. Much as we want to, we rarely feel that we have given as much of ourselves, felt the pain of our friends (or enemies!) sufficiently, or forgiven often enough to satisfy the demands of true godly love.
And if you think loving others is tough, try turning that critical eye for just a moment on your relationship with yourself!
John writes first that God is love. Imagine that--not only are called to practice something difficult, but John tells us that God is the physical and spiritual embodiment of the very trait that we're called to mirror! When I read this, it feels to me like I'm already set up for failure. I mean, who can possibly out-love the God who is love itself? That's like trying to "out-hurricane" a hurricane, or "out-bomb" an atomic bomb! Thankfully, though, John follows this mile-high standard by telling us that Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. In this way, love is made complete among us... In other words, God is not only the standard for our love, but He Himself becomes the source of our love, as well. And because God is the perfect, unending, original source of love, He makes us complete--fulfilled, lacking for nothing--in love ourselves. What a gift! And like our righteousness, it's not only something we haven't worked for or earned, but something we never could do for ourselves. God's love is such a high standard that we are, by definition of our frail human nature, incapable of attaining it. There is no hope for us to love as God loves, just as there is no hope for us to be righteous, apart from the life of Christ, expressed in His people. Thank God that He has given us the capacity, not only to love friend and foe, but to love the most despised, most patently un-lovable, most difficult person of all: the sin-frazzled, weary, drunk-with-self-righteousness, utterly despicable face that gazes back from the bathroom mirror each morning, full of venom and loathing, reminding us of how unworthy, unsuccessful and unrepentant we truly are. If we can find a way to turn the lens of God's love on the self, we can surely love any other person we may encounter, no matter how different or how difficult to pity.
In light of our recognition that God has given us that amazing capacity to love ourselves, the Beloved Disciple reminds us that it is given so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment.
How amazing! The capacity to love--especially to love oneself, is a mark of God's favor in our lives so powerful that it will lend confidence to those of his saints who endure this life until God calls them home. Remember that judgment has not been annihilated in light of Jesus' sacrifice. Rather, we are told we have been given "confidence to stand" in that day. And when we do stand toe-to-toe with the Creator of the universe who gave us life and breath, John says, we will draw strength from the knowledge that we have been gifted by God with the power of love--and that by seeing love at work in our own changed lives, we will perceive the depth of God's care for and delight in us His creations!
John doesn't intend, I'm sure, to suggest that all fear is evidence that we lack love--rather, he points out that in that day of God's wrath, we will be filled not with fear, but with the truth of God's eternal love for us, and in that love we will stand firm in His presence, not cowering like whipped animals, but holding our heads high and facing God to see Him at last even as we are seen, to know as we are known, without fear of condemnation, because the Spirit bears witness of our salvation through the love that God has imparted to us. Likewise, we are told that this love will be the mark by which even the unsaved will know Jesus' followers. The power of God's love is infinite, and the power it can have when applied to ourselves is likewise beyond our wildest imagination.
A person who has learned to love himself is set free from the shackles of self-defeat and the bondage of self-judgment. Too often, I fail to try great things for God because I believe I'm unworthy or that God couldn't possibly think highly enough of me to give me success at such a great endeavor. When I stare into the mirror, I do not like the person I see, for I see the baggage of self-absorption and years of sinful indulgence. I see every failure and every snap of temper or shortfall of patience. I see everything I wish I were, and everything I admire in others, and I fear the pitiful creature I see there. But when I truly gaze through the lens of God's love at my own hapless self, somehow that face in the mirror is transformed and I begin to get an inkling of what my Heavenly Father sees when He looks at me. Suddenly instead of failure, I see potential--instead of anger and impatience, passion and drive. And instead of measuring myself by the standard of my friend's abilities and achievements, I begin to allow myself the same grace I attempt to extend to strangers.
...and John reminds us that this amazing gift is nothing of our own doing, nothing I could have drummed-up or created for myself:
We love because he first loved us.
God's powerful love is a balm for the wounded heart, a refuge for those under attack by the world's opinions and a sanctuary for the Holy Spirit Himself to dwell in our midst and continue His work of transforming us back into the perfect, loving creatures God intended us to be.
I pray God will lead you to apply His standard of love to yourself, and that you will discover the eternal, irreplaceable joy of being accounted worthy to be loved by the King of Heaven!
God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.
In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him.
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 4:16-19
It's no secret to most of us that life is full of struggles. Personally, I have plenty--from controlling my temper (thankfully much less of a problem than in my younger days!), to patience (especially with our current influx of leaf-gazing tourists--or as well call 'em, "foreigners"). Like most people, I probably mis-evaluate my own shortcomings, but if you ask me, I'm likely to say that loving people isn't one of my struggles.
Truth be known, though, love is never quite as easy as we make it sound. The way we toss "love" and related words about makes it seem like a foregone conclusion that we love people, but God's Word exposes a much deeper--and far more challenging--view of love. In light of Jesus' example, we see a standard for love that is intimately bound with sacrifice and enmeshed with a willingness to overlook justice in favor of compassion. It's a high mark, and if we're honest with ourselves, we know at times we all fall short. Much as we want to, we rarely feel that we have given as much of ourselves, felt the pain of our friends (or enemies!) sufficiently, or forgiven often enough to satisfy the demands of true godly love.
And if you think loving others is tough, try turning that critical eye for just a moment on your relationship with yourself!
John writes first that God is love. Imagine that--not only are called to practice something difficult, but John tells us that God is the physical and spiritual embodiment of the very trait that we're called to mirror! When I read this, it feels to me like I'm already set up for failure. I mean, who can possibly out-love the God who is love itself? That's like trying to "out-hurricane" a hurricane, or "out-bomb" an atomic bomb! Thankfully, though, John follows this mile-high standard by telling us that Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. In this way, love is made complete among us... In other words, God is not only the standard for our love, but He Himself becomes the source of our love, as well. And because God is the perfect, unending, original source of love, He makes us complete--fulfilled, lacking for nothing--in love ourselves. What a gift! And like our righteousness, it's not only something we haven't worked for or earned, but something we never could do for ourselves. God's love is such a high standard that we are, by definition of our frail human nature, incapable of attaining it. There is no hope for us to love as God loves, just as there is no hope for us to be righteous, apart from the life of Christ, expressed in His people. Thank God that He has given us the capacity, not only to love friend and foe, but to love the most despised, most patently un-lovable, most difficult person of all: the sin-frazzled, weary, drunk-with-self-righteousness, utterly despicable face that gazes back from the bathroom mirror each morning, full of venom and loathing, reminding us of how unworthy, unsuccessful and unrepentant we truly are. If we can find a way to turn the lens of God's love on the self, we can surely love any other person we may encounter, no matter how different or how difficult to pity.
In light of our recognition that God has given us that amazing capacity to love ourselves, the Beloved Disciple reminds us that it is given so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment.
How amazing! The capacity to love--especially to love oneself, is a mark of God's favor in our lives so powerful that it will lend confidence to those of his saints who endure this life until God calls them home. Remember that judgment has not been annihilated in light of Jesus' sacrifice. Rather, we are told we have been given "confidence to stand" in that day. And when we do stand toe-to-toe with the Creator of the universe who gave us life and breath, John says, we will draw strength from the knowledge that we have been gifted by God with the power of love--and that by seeing love at work in our own changed lives, we will perceive the depth of God's care for and delight in us His creations!
John doesn't intend, I'm sure, to suggest that all fear is evidence that we lack love--rather, he points out that in that day of God's wrath, we will be filled not with fear, but with the truth of God's eternal love for us, and in that love we will stand firm in His presence, not cowering like whipped animals, but holding our heads high and facing God to see Him at last even as we are seen, to know as we are known, without fear of condemnation, because the Spirit bears witness of our salvation through the love that God has imparted to us. Likewise, we are told that this love will be the mark by which even the unsaved will know Jesus' followers. The power of God's love is infinite, and the power it can have when applied to ourselves is likewise beyond our wildest imagination.
A person who has learned to love himself is set free from the shackles of self-defeat and the bondage of self-judgment. Too often, I fail to try great things for God because I believe I'm unworthy or that God couldn't possibly think highly enough of me to give me success at such a great endeavor. When I stare into the mirror, I do not like the person I see, for I see the baggage of self-absorption and years of sinful indulgence. I see every failure and every snap of temper or shortfall of patience. I see everything I wish I were, and everything I admire in others, and I fear the pitiful creature I see there. But when I truly gaze through the lens of God's love at my own hapless self, somehow that face in the mirror is transformed and I begin to get an inkling of what my Heavenly Father sees when He looks at me. Suddenly instead of failure, I see potential--instead of anger and impatience, passion and drive. And instead of measuring myself by the standard of my friend's abilities and achievements, I begin to allow myself the same grace I attempt to extend to strangers.
...and John reminds us that this amazing gift is nothing of our own doing, nothing I could have drummed-up or created for myself:
We love because he first loved us.
God's powerful love is a balm for the wounded heart, a refuge for those under attack by the world's opinions and a sanctuary for the Holy Spirit Himself to dwell in our midst and continue His work of transforming us back into the perfect, loving creatures God intended us to be.
I pray God will lead you to apply His standard of love to yourself, and that you will discover the eternal, irreplaceable joy of being accounted worthy to be loved by the King of Heaven!
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