1 John 4:18 (The Message)
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�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 (NIV)
One of the main themes in Agape is unity, and it has been a goal for Agape for many years. I believe that one of the obstacles to unity is fear. We are afraid of people that we don�t know well; we fear those who are different from us; fear of rejection; fear of not being cool, and so on. I personally experienced many of the fears mentioned above. These fears make it hard to reach out to people outside of our own little circle or square.
So what�s love gotta do with it? Well, I know that I love my close friends and family, and I am not afraid to talk to them. Also, even when I have differences in opinions or quarrels with them, I do not stay mad at them for long. I find it very easy to forgive the people I love. With people that I don�t know as well, or people that I have trouble loving, I tend to stay away from them. I don�t take the extra effort needed to step out of my self-made circle and get to know them. Again, fear comes into place, because going out of my self-made circle means going out of my comfort zone. I used to tell myself, well as long as I am nice and polite to the people outside of my circle, I�m fine.
But now, I don�t think just being nice and polite is enough. The Bible did not say to love your friends, and be nice and polite to people who are not your friends. In fact, Jesus said, "If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even `sinners' love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even `sinners' do that�(Luke 6:32-33). Jesus wants me to love my enemies and pray for those who persecute me (Matthew 5:44).
I think this is perfect love � to love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. This kind of love drives out fear, breaks down walls and builds up unity. Start praying for the people you find unlovable, or you are afraid of. Ask God to fill you with His love for them. Take the first step out of your circle, and start reaching out to them. Let us go beyond just singing and talking about love. Let us live a life of love!
In closing, I have a heart-shaped bookmark in my Bible that I received from the women�s Sunday school class I attended a while ago. It is a quote from Chuck Swindoll:
�The ABC�s of Love�
�I Accept who you are,�
�I Believe you are valuable,�
�I Care when you are hurt,�
�I Desire only what�s best for you,�
�I Erase all offenses.�
My prayer for me and you is that we could practice the ABC�s of love to every single person that comes across our path.
