Hi how are you all today? I am okay and in the middle of medical tests. I am praying that all is good. How have you been?
This week I want to look at going further or deeper in Gods love. This is totally for me but may be for you too.
I want to begin with a verse in 1 John 4:18 in the NKJV that states:
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.
Reading this verse on the surface, it tells us the only way we can have no fear is to be totally immersed in love. Love is one word for lots of things in English but in Greek, there are a number of words for love.
Let’s look at four of them:
1. Eros is romantic love like between a husband and a wife. This type of love can comfort us in fear but it cannot generally eradicate it. Those situations we deal with in a household that can cause us anxiety eg sickness, loss of a job etc will sometimes cause fear or anxiety. Therefore, this type of love whilst comforting and fulfilling can never eradicate fear.
2. Storge is family love. Like the one above fear may present itself occasionally as our family can love us and be there for us but cannot provide enough love to eradicate fear.
3. Philia is brotherly love. This is really a friendship love. Friends are great and can be there in our time of need. But just like the other ones, this type of love can never eradicate fear.
4. The last one is agape which is Gods love. Since God is totally good, totally love and totally pure, then fear has no hold on God. Therefore, fear can be eradicated in this type of love.
So how does this work? It is still a work in progress for me and I need to discover and allow myself to experience it more and more.
There is no limit to Gods love so in regard to that, let’s look at the story in Ezekiel of the river. We are going to liken the river to Gods love.
In Ezekiel 47 in the Message Bible, it states:
Now he brought me back to the entrance to the Temple. I saw water pouring out from under the Temple porch to the east (the Temple faced east). The water poured from the south side of the Temple, south of the altar. He then took me out through the north gate and led me around the outside to the gate complex on the east. The water was gushing from under the south front of the Temple.
3-5 He walked to the east with a measuring tape and measured off fifteen hundred feet, leading me through water that was ankle-deep. He measured off another fifteen hundred feet, leading me through water that was knee-deep. He measured off another fifteen hundred feet, leading me through water waist-deep. He measured off another fifteen hundred feet. By now it was a river over my head, water to swim in, water no one could possibly walk through
There are a number of stages to this river.
1. The first is ankle deep. This is when we first ask God to come into our lives and we just get a taste of His love. This makes us desire more.
2. The next is knee deep. We are starting to wade more into the depths of Gods love but we are standing in it on our terms. If we go much further, God may expect more of us.
3. The next is waist deep. We are getting further into the depths of Gods love. We can now “float” in it and it is nice. We still feel we have control.
4. The last stage is over our heads. This is when we are in so deep that we feel we are totally immersed in the love of God. This is when perfect love abounds and fear has no place to be.
But how do we get there. Only by building your relationship with God deeper and deeper. This is by spending time with Him through prayer, getting to know Him through reading the Word and discovering stories of Gods love through others.
It is a journey that will never finish but one we can pursue.
Am I there yet? Definitely not but I would like to believe I am on my way out into the depths of that river where no fear can exist.
This week start the journey or be encouraged to continue the journey. You won’t be disappointed.
Bless you and keep living the life God intended for you.
Bless you
Karen
0 Comments