Valentine’s day has come! The day of love! But lets be real, this day has been skewed a bit to use all your money to make someone you love happy. If you’re not careful it might seem as though it is the only day for love. Showing love should be something that is second nature to us all. In our daily actions we should constantly show love to one another. Today I wanted to focus on loving without fear, which is the perfect love we should strive to have.
Lets take a look: The chapter, 1 Corinthians 13, discusses all the important elements that love has and does not have. It tells you EXACTLY what you should and shouldn’t see when it comes to love. This can be found in verses 4-8.
Love Is:
Kind
Patient
Rejoices with truth
Always protects
Always trusts
Always hopes
Always perseveres
Never failing
Love is not:
Envious
Boastful
Proud
Dishonest
Self seeking
Easily angered
Keeping a record of wrongs
Delighting in evil
Also in 1 John chapter 4 it says:
“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.”
1 John 4:18 NIV
Analyze: In a relationship we have to learn not to fear but to have perfect love without fear! This definitely easier said than done. Now a days, before we even plan to have a serious relationship, let alone plan to be married, we are already in short lived relationships. Most times before we have even grown to love ourselves or grow in our relationship with Jesus, we already have had several harmful relationships.
Relationships that have crushed our spirits, that have broken us, and made us feel that we are unloveable. We can no longer see love for ourselves because the spirit of fear has settled and made its home within us. And just as the verse says, it feels like punishment! We are fearful that someone will hurt us again so to protect ourselves we build a shield not letting anyone in ever again. Basically putting ourself in time out! Crazy right? And if by some miracle we let someone in, they don’t experience who we really are, but a mask. We may even have a tendency to sabotage or manipulate the relationship as soon as we see things getting more serious. This, my friends, is all due to fear.
Do you recognize this pattern? Does this sound like you, or someone you know? If so, I want you to know some important things you can do to get out of this cycle starting Now! Right Now! One of the first things you should do before you try to have a relationship with anyone is to first build a relationship with Jesus. To build something means that it will take time before you see its beauty. It will take sacrifice, and some change! But once you do this, you will be fulfilled without anyone having to fill the emptiness in your heart. And when it comes time to build a relationship with someone else you can ask God to see that person’s heart and Jesus will lead you to the person was meant for you.
Remember that God did not place the spirit of fear within us. And it has no place in our hearts today or any other day.
Repeat after me: Say, “God I will follow you and build a relationship with you first and foremost. I will be lead by Jesus and not by fear. Take first place in my heart and show me what perfect love is”
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