The Chatty Homemaker

Perfect love casteth out fear

I John 4:18 “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.” We are made perfect in love through our relationship with Christ. His desire is for us to be crazy in love with him. After all he is crazy in love with us. He created us to have a relationship with us. In Genesis 3:8 we see that God was walking in the garden. Why would he be in the garden if he didn’t want to “hang out” with Adam and Eve? In Genesis 5:22 the Bible says that Enoch walked with God. Again in verse 24 of the same chapter it says not only that Enoch walked with God and that God took him. Where did he take him? To be with him of course.

John 14:1-4 read “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.” He has done so much for us already, but loves us so much that he is still working to make sure we have a beautiful place to dwell with him for all of eternity. From the beginning of our lives through eternity, he has prepared a way for us to have a relationship with him.

Perfect love in friendship

John 15:12-14 “This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.” He doesn’t ask us to do things that he did not give us an example of in his own life. Nor will he have us to do anything that he requires of us on our own. Here in this context he is simply asking us to love one another as he has loved us. He loved us when we were his enemies. (Ephesians 2:3-5) He gave himself as atonement for our sin that we might live with him for ever. (Ephesians 5:2, I John 4:10, Revelation 1:5) All because he loves us with a perfect love.

He loves us so much that in all of creation he chose us to be his friends. John 15:14-16. Not only are we chosen by him to be his friends and followers, but are also adopted into his family, and joint heirs with his Son. (Galatians 3:26, Romans 8:16 & 17) We have a perfect friend, in perfect love, in Christ. We also find in him a perfect brother and confidant. All because he first loved us and chose us unto himself before the foundation of the world. ( I John 4:19; II Thessalonians 2:13; John 17:24)

Perfect love in marriage

Ephesians 5:25 & 33- (25) Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; (33) Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband. Proverbs 31:11 The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil. Proverbs 31:28 Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her. Titus 2:4 That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,

Ephesians 5:22-33 God likens the relationship of the husband and wife to the relationship of Christ and the church. Christ loves with a perfect love, and we are to love our spouse with the same love that he has for us. (Revelation 19:7) If we love God like we should and put him first in our marriage, then we will love our spouse with that perfect love that he gives us so freely. If you desire a better love relationship with your spouse, check up on your love relationship with the LORD. God wants us to love him. He also greatly desires for us to love one another, especially in our marriages. This was, after all the first human relationship that he instituted.

Perfect love for your children

After the marriage institution, God gave children, thus creating the family. Children are a blessing and should be treated as such. They are an heritage of the LORD. Psalm 127:1-5 In verse 5 of this text we see that, “Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them.” Those of us who have children are blessed beyond measure even if we do not see it. We have been chosen by God to care for these precious little souls. If we are good stewards of the souls God has entrusted us with, we will be happy and joyful in parenthood. If we choose to squander the great privilege God has bestowed to us in them, we will be overwhelmed and unhappy in parenting. It is his desire for us to delight in our children and to nurture them. (Ephesians 6:4)

Christ ministered to the children just as he did the adults. (Matthew 19:14, Mark 10:14, Luke 18:16) He came to save all. That includes children. (II Peter 3:9) He also tells us that we stand to learn something from them. (Luke 18:17, Mark 10:15, Matthew 18:2-4, Psalm 8:2) He uses our children at times to keep us humble and wise in him not ourselves. (Isaiah 3:4, Matthew 11:25, 21:16, Luke 10:21) Again if we love God as we should, and place him as King on the throne of our heart, then we will love our children with that perfect love that comes from God himself.

For those who are out to hurt our precious little ones, God has something for them as well. (Matthew 10:42, 18:6, 10, & 14, Mark 9:42, Luke 17:2) We may not see these things come to pass, but if God said it, he will do it. I personally do not understand how anyone could ever harm a child. I feel bad enough if I raise my voice to mine.

Perfect love for our enemies

Yes, I said perfect love for our enemies. God loves them. As I said before, he loved us when we were his enemies. Romans 5:8 states, ” But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” We know he loved us because I don’t know anyone who would willingly die for someone they didn’t love. Imagine yourself giving your own life, or the life of your child for someone who was your enemy. God did it for you. Our sin, when it was imputed to our account, before we accepted Christ as our savior, made us the enemies of God. (Romans 5:10)

The Lord tells us to love, bless, pray for, and be good to our enemies. (Matthew 5:44, Luke 6:28) He didn’t tell us to die for them or give our child for them. It is still hard in our flesh to do these things. It is also very difficult to hate someone you are praying for. You will also find it hard to not be good to them and bless them. Try it and see if God doesn’t soften your heart toward your enemies. He wants us to love every person as he loves them. Every soul has value to God, so they should have value to us. ( Psalm 14:1-3, Psalm 53:1-3, Matthew 19:17, Mark 10:18, Luke 18:19, Romans 3:12)

If you have not yet accepted Him as your personal Lord and savior, he died for you, his enemy. But you do not have to stay his enemy. All you have to do to be saved is believe in the gospel, that Jesus was killed for your sin, that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day. (I Corinthians 15:3 & 4) Confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead and thou shalt be saved. (Romans 10:9 & 10)