Devotionals

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(Rom. 8:37-39, John 4:18)

Written 9-4-03

One day, while driving home, the thought occurred to me how I would not be afraid if I had died in a car accident. While in the midst of complementing myself for my courage Romans 8:37-39 came to mind immediately. In the verse are the words “neither death nor life.” What got my attention in the verse was not the mentioning of “death” but rather “life.”

I believe the day this happened I was going through a difficult time. I am certain that my lack of fear of death was because of my living situation at the time. In all truth, I actually desired death to escape because death seemed more appealing than my life at that moment in time. My life situation was fearful to me.

I grew up living in fear. I lived in a dangerous home situation filled with violence and abuse. I grew up with a perception that life and the people in it was something to be feared. Anxiety and worry became part of the normal matrix of my life. They, along with fear, were and are familiar companions to me.

Because of these in my life I learned to react to difficult situations with fear-motivated sin. Even my anger was because I was hurt and afraid. Even now, after Christ, I still find myself reacting to many situations out of fear. Many times I have sought to desert people and life because of fear.

I love to read Paul’s writings and I find he experienced fear as well. He could only write as well as he did about fear because he knew it first hand, as a human. He went through fearful situations-shipwrecks, stonings, beatings, antagonistic Jews and Gentiles. Yet he claimed the love of God in Christ and how life would not separate him from it. How can this be so?

He also stated that he was persuaded about the power of God’s love. This seems amazing to me even as I am now going through a difficult, fear-provoking time. I desire to be persuaded as Paul was concerning this Divine Love.

I learned that persuasion is also being convinced, assured, or convicted. Conviction is a specialty that the Holy Spirit excels in with beauty. I see then that I need Him to instill this in me. I will pray for it.

I also see then that Paul also became convinced of His love always being in his life by living life with God. God will always live with us, as believers, but we do not always live with Him. “Where is my focus?”, I ask myself. I see then a need to continually abide in Jesus as He encouraged us (John 15:1-8). I must abide in His presence provided by His Spirit and His word. Obedience plays a major factor in this because obedience helps me to perceive His presence (John 14:21, 23). Then will I see that His love is still with me while I live. This will take God-given time. This will cause fruit that blossoms forth in maturing children of God-LOVE, joy, PEACE, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, FAITHFULNESS, SELF-CONTROL. I emphasized these aspects of fruit because I believe this is what was manifested from Paul being so persuaded about his Lord’s love. So I see a need to be matured or perfected in His love. John also wrote about this (1 John 4:18).

Like clinging to an oak tree in a violent storm I must cling to the promise of His prevailing love. One only would cling to such a tree because he trusts in its strength. By clinging out of trust one will see how strong the tree is. In seeing one becomes persuaded in its strength and will cease from fear.

Clinging is also abiding.

If I abide in Jesus, I will walk as He did (1John 2:6). So then I will love and serve the Father and others as He did. If I see myself acting Divine loving service that is not typical of a pathetic human being (as myself) then it will help to assure me of the fact that His prevailing love is a reality. I conclude then that focus and obedience are imperative and essential.

The world tells us to cop with our fears and other life situations. This is like telling a hurdler to sit in front of the hurtle. John tells us we can jump over the hurtle in the power and wisdom of God by trusting in His existence in our lives (1 John 5:3-4). Trust manifests in obedience.

The question is-where do I take it from here?

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