Insecurity Defining Love

 

Insecurity

Defining Love

 

Knowing God loves us gives us security

We know we can find mercy in our time of need

God’s love makes it possible for us to become right with Him

For us to be secure in God’s love

We must not only seek His mercy but give mercy

Remember the man whose debts were forgiven

But demanded his debtor to pay up

Your confidence will grow as you understand the love of God

And express perfect love to others 

 

Defining Love

 

Being judged causes fear.

 

Fear is the enemy of security.

 

You and I cannot avoid judgment.

 

Think about the things you judge every day…

 

In our minds we approve

and disapprove of everything.

 

Just like some people love oysters and other don’t.

 

Some people love liver and others don’t.

 

Expressing our likes and dislikes

are so common, Facebook provides a button

for every one of the 2,670,000,000 post a day.

 

We now have Emojis to express our approval

in our text and other forms of communication.

 

Judging and being judged is inescapable.

 

Because of our differences,

we all define love differently.

 

 We all express love differently.

 

Sometimes our love protects and

other times it holds accountable.

 

We all find ourselves struggling

between mercy and judgment.  

 

Sadly, we all cannot be right about love.

 

You and I are going to be judged by others.

 

Those who approve of us, we call friends

and those who don’t, are not friends.

 

Even in this, we become judges and

choose who we will love and not love.

 

This is all confusing because our

definition of love is not perfect.

 

John tells us of a perfect love.

 

In fact, John describes God as love.

 

Perfect love can only be understood

as we understand God.

 

God’s love is not based

on physical beauty or race.

 

God clearly sees right and wrong.

 

Because He is a just God…

 

 He will deal with wrong.

 

Because God is Love…

 

 It is not His will that any parish.

 

John tells us…

   

God is love.

Whoever lives in love lives in God,

and God in him.

1 John 4:16

 

Living in God’s love makes us complete…

 

In this way, love is made complete among us

so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment,

because in this world we are like him.

 1 John 4:17

 

Insecurity because of judgement causes

us to run and hide, like Adam and Eve.

 

To know God is to know His love

is full of mercy to the repentant.

 

Perfect love causes us to faces

the problem, not run and hide.

 

The fear factor is removed when

we know that if we confess our sin

 He is faithful and just to forgive us.

 

This is why John 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

 

Our example of love is God,

 who first loved us.

1 John 4:19

 

For while we were still sinners,

 Christ died for us.

Romans 8:8

 

We, too, must love as God does…

 

If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar.

 For anyone who does not love his brother,

whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.

And he has given us this command:

Whoever loves God must also love his brother.

 1 John 4:20-21

 

You and I cannot allow hate toward others.

 

Jesus gave us many examples of love…

 

Turn the other cheek.

 

If asked to go a mile go two.

 

Be the good Samaritan.

 

Knowing God loves us gives us security.

 

We know we can find mercy

in our time of need.

 

God’s love makes it possible for

us to become right with Him.

 

For us to be secure in God’s love,

 we must not only seek His mercy,

but give mercy.

 

Remember, the man whose debts were forgiven

 but demanded his debtor to pay up?

 

Your confidence will grow

as you understand the love of God

and express perfect love to others. 

 

 

Scripture Reading

 

1 John 4:16-21 NIV

 

God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. 17 In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. 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. 20 If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. 21 And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.