And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. (1Jn 4:16-18 KJV)
Jesus taught us how to live big. How to break out of the box. How to beat this thing that limits us. He taught us that love was the greatest thing we have going for us. We have this ability because we were made to love people. Perfect love or perfected love is grown up love, it's the kind we see that Jesus demonstrated.
Fear is our enemy, it limits us, causes selfishness and causes us to live small. But fear can be beaten. It can be demolished and overthrown. That's why we got to keep growing in the love of God. Perfect love, perfected love, grown up love expels fear. When love grows up it looks like the kind of love Jesus showed. He loved the unlovely, forgave those who were in the very act of killing Him. He demonstrated a depth, He lived big. He showed us a way to live that releases power to overcome that which keeps us small. He stepped out in love, He took a chance. He gave His life away for others. That's our leader and if we want to live big, if we want to make a difference, we will have to follow Him in this example.
Edwin Louis Cole, one of my heroes in the faith, who lived his life as a champion for Christian Men all over the world used to say, "Love desires to benefit others even at the expense of self because love desires to give. Lust desires to benefit self at the expense of others, because lust desires to get." Then, love is about others.
If it's always about us that's perverted love. That's the kind of love the world lives. Always about self, and others find themselves at the bottom. That looks a lot like lust doesn't it?
But again, this perfect love casts out fear. When we live like Jesus, we live in God's love and demonstrate what love really is. Putting others first. Intentionally taking up the role of a servant and living for the benefit of others. That's living big. When we live big, we let God live through us. Fear has no control, lust has no control, sin has no control. Wow, what freedom. When we stand in judgment, which every man will one day we can stand with boldness that our life was sown for others. That God lived through us. That's living big.
Just imagine what this kind of living can bring us into. Well, that's another story.
Fear is our enemy, it limits us, causes selfishness and causes us to live small. But fear can be beaten. It can be demolished and overthrown. That's why we got to keep growing in the love of God. Perfect love, perfected love, grown up love expels fear. When love grows up it looks like the kind of love Jesus showed. He loved the unlovely, forgave those who were in the very act of killing Him. He demonstrated a depth, He lived big. He showed us a way to live that releases power to overcome that which keeps us small. He stepped out in love, He took a chance. He gave His life away for others. That's our leader and if we want to live big, if we want to make a difference, we will have to follow Him in this example.
Edwin Louis Cole, one of my heroes in the faith, who lived his life as a champion for Christian Men all over the world used to say, "Love desires to benefit others even at the expense of self because love desires to give. Lust desires to benefit self at the expense of others, because lust desires to get." Then, love is about others.
If it's always about us that's perverted love. That's the kind of love the world lives. Always about self, and others find themselves at the bottom. That looks a lot like lust doesn't it?
But again, this perfect love casts out fear. When we live like Jesus, we live in God's love and demonstrate what love really is. Putting others first. Intentionally taking up the role of a servant and living for the benefit of others. That's living big. When we live big, we let God live through us. Fear has no control, lust has no control, sin has no control. Wow, what freedom. When we stand in judgment, which every man will one day we can stand with boldness that our life was sown for others. That God lived through us. That's living big.
Just imagine what this kind of living can bring us into. Well, that's another story.
