Perilous love

“Love has been perfected among us in this: 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 casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. We love Him because He first loved us.”
‭‭I John‬ ‭4:17-19‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Perilous love

I am learning to be wary of the traps of the evil one. He lurks about, waiting for that opportunity to jump up and destabilize me when I am not on guard. in my case, morning can be a very vulnerable time, as I am just awakening and all the systems are coming on line. I am very thankful that I am alone in those times, as my thoughts are sometimes not for public consumption.

I have found that the morning news is a trap straight out of hell. We really don’t have journalism anymore, just public relations for political parties. I have seen many a morning ruined by the blasts from the media mouthpieces. This morning I got up early so I could get my quiet time in before I went off to my infusion appointment. I turned on the television to one of the networks and with in moments I was being hammered by hell’s propaganda. I quickly turned it off and switched to some worship music.

I think the evil one’s primary purpose is to draw our attention away from the things of God, to drive us into the flesh, where we begin take sides, become adversarial, where we forget to love. Love is a powerful thing. It is the most powerful weapon in the arsenal of God. The love of God defeated sin and death, as Jesus came down to live as one of us, living sinless, and died for our sins. Love moved the stone away, love brought the resurrection.

God’s love is perilous. It was given, knowing that it would be rejected by His creation. Yet He gave it anyway.

“And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.”
‭‭I John‬ ‭4:14-16‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

God is love. If we abide in Him, we are to love. In these perious times, it is easy to allow ourselves to take sides. Loving in the face of opposition is counterintuitive, especially when those who are against you have a willingness to take your life. I think of the times of John the Apostle, who wrote the words in the passage above when things were dark for the early church. John was the remaining voice of the Apostles, as all the others were dead and gone to be with the Lord. The church was plagued with false teachers who challenged the supremacy of Christ. They also did not value the commandment to love.

John reminded them, and us that love is essential. It is a constant lesson for us today, as we face our own difficulty. In many ways, we are facing the same situations, as many challenge the true nature of Jesus: as One filled with love, yet also a God of justice. They opt for a soft, velvet Jesus, who loves all and judges not.

We are also battling over the definition of love. I have read of people threatening divorce if a mate votes the wrong way. I guess that kind of love has a party affiliation. Other lump love in with lust, and seek to define it on the base level. God’s love is agape love. We who believe are called to demonstrate perilous love, agape love. That love that can be rejected, that can be attacked, that can result in hardship. It is the love that brings the message of the Gospel, of Jesus who died on the cross, was buried and rose again on the third day.

Believers, do not be afraid to love perilously. Be bold and assured in going out and sharing the Gospel with a sick and dying world. I believe that in the coming days, there will be world wide events that will shake humanity down to its foundation. The things we look to for anchorage, will be unsteady mooring, the sure things from the past, will be unsure in the future, life as we know it will slide from foundations of rock to foundations of sand, as the world becomes perilous indeed. This could include the dissolution of the United States. Still, we must love.

We must show love in the household of God, and in the world. Souls are counting on it.

“Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.
‭‭I Corinthians‬ ‭13:4-8‬a NKJV‬‬

https://www.allaboutgod.com/the-roman-road.htm