Sunday, July 28, 2013

Learning to Trust

1 John 4:9-19

 
9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.
13 This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. 16 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 them. 17 This is how love is made
complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. 18 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.
19 We love because he first loved us.   (NRSV)
 




For many years I have kept part of a friend’s letter in which she described how she had lovingly cared for a timid, stray cat. At first it was extremely fearful and suspicious and kept its distance from her. But gradually “Pussy” became less afraid and even allowed my friend to handle her kittens from the very first day they were born. Pussy had learned to trust my friend completely because of the constant love my friend gave her.



We can see in this a picture of God reaching out to us with constant love. How do we respond — by backing away from God, keeping our distance, always afraid? Or do we respond by gradually drawing nearer and nearer because we have learned to trust God? When we receive the love God offers us through our Lord Jesus Christ and learn to trust completely, God teaches us to love one another so that people around us may also experience this love. “If we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us.” It is a wonderful transformation when love drives out fear and replaces it with trust.

Thought for the Day

God’s love can drive away our fears.

Prayer

Thank you, Christ Jesus, that you have come to be our friend as well as our Savior, loving us so completely that we can trust you with all that is dearest to us. Amen.
Prayer focus  Reach out to others in fear and share His love!
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