Adventures WorldRace SethBarnes Sponsorship Giving

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     For a long time I used to be afraid of God. Having an unhealthy fear that he would harm me or something if I did the slightest thing wrong. So I never wanted to dig in deeper with that relationship, because I had also heard that “the more that you know the more that you are accountable for”. 

    I grew up with a lot of fear. Fear of not believing I would be good enough because I would fear of doing something slightly wrong. Then if I did something wrong, would God still love me? Fear that if I studied more I would have to talk more. Then I would be accountable for more. And what if I was bad at that? I had so many questions, but I was afraid to look for the answers because I might be accountable for more, and I might do something wrong. These are only a couple of the fears, there were many more.  While being on the race I have been breaking off these fears. 
      When reading in Matthew, a view of God’s love. How we are shown and told not to be afraid…
 
“He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”  When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified.
But Jesus came and touched them, saying,“Rise, and have no fear.”
–    Matthew 17:5-7
  
     “Fear was a common experience of people in the OT who witnessed the awesome reality of God’s presence“. Jesus tells us to have no fear.
We should not be afraid of God’s voice when He speaks. So easily people
can have fear and are fearful, but we are told not to have fear.
The main verse that I have been looking to understand is,
 
“There is no fear in love,

but  perfect love casts out fear.
For fear has to do with punishment,
and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.”

–    1 John 4:18
 

     To be perfected in love…What does that look like? That is the journey I am on. God is love, God is perfect love. There is no reason I should fear his love. God is perfecting me in His love. It is that simple. No crazy explanation. But if you desire to dig deeper there is so much more packed into the word love. Into all that love holds, into His love. To who God is.  

To be perfected in love. To be perfected by the love and grace that is shown to us. By the mercy that is shown to us, by the compassion that is shown to us, to be perfected by the God has created us. I am on the journey, and probably will never find the full answer, but to continue to grow in this love is what I desire…


…to be perfected in love.