Love..

Good morning, beloved,

So, mother of the year award, right here. No need to look any further. In my defense, I had no idea my little girl’s heart would break with Abraham Lincoln’s story. The story didn’t even cover his years as president. Rather, this was a story of Abraham’s life up until his presidency. After I finally got her calm, she was able to tell me that the idea of slavery horrified her. She’s seven. And how Abe’s daddy was so hard on him..

I have a lot to learn about my little girl. Should I keep her from hearing the hardships of life? Protecting her?  I cannot. Life is hard. Yet, what can I do to help ease the pain of reality? Teach her to run to Jesus. Teach her to love Him first.

And the things of this earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.  Teach her to ask Jesus to be her vision..

1 John 4

¹⁷In this [union and communion with Him] love is brought to completion and attains perfection with us, that we may have confidence for the day of judgment [with assurance and boldness to face Him], because as He is, so are we in this world.

¹⁸There is no fear in love [dread does not exist], but full-grown (complete, perfect) love ^[a]turns fear out of doors and expels every trace of terror! For fear ^[b]brings with it the thought of punishment, and [so] he who is afraid has not reached the full maturity of love [is not yet grown into love’s complete perfection].

¹⁹We love Him, because He first loved us.

Confidence-“the absence of fear in speaking boldly; hence, confidence, cheerful courage, boldness, without any connection necessarily with speech;”

Complete-of “things, complete, perfect,” Rom 12:2; 1Cr 13:10 (referring to the complete revelation of God’s will and ways, whether in the completed Scriptures or in the hereafter); Jam 1:4 (of the work of patience); Jam 1:25; 1Jo 4:18.

Day– of the last day of this present age, the day Christ will return from heaven, raise the dead, hold the final judgment, and perfect his kingdom

Judgement-primarily denotes “a separating,” then, “a decision, judgment,” most frequently in a forensic sense, and especially of Divine “judgment.”

For fear ^[b]brings with it the thought of punishment, and [so] he who is afraid has not reached the full maturity of love [is not yet grown into love’s complete perfection].

¹⁹We love Him, because He first loved us.