Love is BRAVE
“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) In a recent conversation with a friend she shared the writing on a t-shirt she wears and it says, “Love is brave”. I pondered that for a moment wanting to understand the depth of bravery it would take to share God’s love. God’s love is not meant to be hoarded but shared with others and that means with people who may not look like you, think like you, behave like you, or believe like you. It means we are ready and willing to face and endure danger or pain for His cause and His cause is love. He tells us that “love is patient, love is kind, it does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud, it does not dishonor others, is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs”. (1 Corinthians 13:4-5) The two greatest commandments tell us to love God and to love our neighbor as yourself, “All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:40) There is no in-between and considering the two-way relationship that we have with God we have the courage not to fear anything or anyone because we realize we can exercise confident trust in God’s power, promise, and will.When people see you, they ought to recognize the love of God that flows off of you and out of you. A true believer cannot hide His love because it is being automatically released the moment you encounter others.
““To live from love not fear, on a practical level, is to shift from a goal of protecting our ego, being right, winning the argument, being not to blame and move into actually being kind, being loving-in our actions.””
Love is a choice and a daily practice for those who follow Christ.