Driving Out Punishment & Fear! GMG: Week 7: I John 4:16-21

Oh, my soul, for weeks now, the heralds have gone out telling forth the good news..... :

Have you heard it yet?

........ that the God who *is* love, loves you! yes you!?!

Have you heard it echoing in the deepest chambers of your soul?

Do you believe it?  Or do you yet fear, that in some ways, here or there, that His love is not enough!?!

What have you to fear? You have confidence in the day of judgment!  You have confidence in His healing!  You have confidence in eternal life!

Then what has gone amiss?

Why are you hurt?  Why is your face downcast?

Oh, my soul, you know right well, that yet again, you felt fear rise up this week; you have wrestled again with the pain of those who judge you harshly and even falsely?

But, my soul, that fear cannot please God!  You can only please God with faith.

But what is it that one mere soul can do?

Give thanks!

Yes, Give thanks to the Lord God's tender mercies;
Give thanks to the gentle ministries of the Holy Spirit!
You, oh my soul, have been lead down the path of righteousness in spite of this fear!
He has helped to cast it out yet again!

By faith alone!  In Christ alone!  Through grace alone!

Yes, when fear sought you out!
When fear sought to carry you away!
When fear even got a grip on you for a moment!
Yes, then you felt its punishment this week!

(for fear involves punishment!)

You whose emotions died for decades at the tender age of seven.  You, who God guided gently, and carefully back away from the Abyss of the Tragedies; Aye, back from the wild, and twisted, and ragged Abyss of Tragedies, with its jagged edges, from aberration to aberration; with its varied crevasses of immeasurable depths...........;

Yes, You.

Yes, you, oh my soul......... who God challenged and nurtured, with the challenge to learn to ...

............ feel again........

Yes, you, oh my soul, who finally feel pain!

You finally discern more quickly which pain is the inherent grief over the brokenness of life.  Which is a healthy thing!

Such pain drives you to seek to share the good news of His grace!
Such pain drives you to pray fervently for His coming-again!

But more than that!

You, oh my soul, finally discern more quickly which pain is self-destructive........ which is Punishment-Self-Inflicted...... out of fear........ of others' brokenness....... of their brokenness breaking through and hurting you, precious soul created by God, yet again.

What did the Spirit's tender mercies reveal to you this week about this?

Oh, my soul, by His tender mercies, He revealed that:

In your moment of fear, in the fear of more pain from the rejection of those who call themselves 'brothers' and 'sisters'........ In that moment, you began to thrash yourself....... self-flaggelation!!! Not out of mis-informed penance, but out of fear!

How can it be, that out of grief of pain, by focusing on the pain, we thrash ourselves further with the whip of pain provided by those who have rejected us?

But that is so much the case........

And here it is........ The Solution!:

First!  To focus on His love for us........., aye, even for you, oh my soul!

For, again, if His love and saving grace is enough to heal us from our own sin, how can His love and saving grace be insufficient to heal us from the pain of those caught up in the throws of this broken world!?!

Second!  To focus on His love for us......., aye, even for them, and oh!!! their precious souls!!!!

So now, oh, my soul!, you ought to hope for that same confidence-in-the-day-of-judgment ..... for those others around you.

Do they have that confidence yet?  If not, seek to share it with them!

Oh...... but, if they do have that confidence already?  Celebrate it with them - in spite of their frailties!  Even when their frailties hurt you, oh, my soul.........

And if they will not celebrate it with you!?!  If, as much as it is possible with you, you seek to live in peace with them - - - but they reject such peace thus far.......

Celebrate the gift of grace provided for them - past, present, and future!  Even when their frailties hurt you, oh my soul.......  For you can trust Our Father to both heal you, and to correct them in time............

But how?  By being perfected in love...

But won't they hurt us again? ...... Does that matter?  Remember, it is in all these things that we Overwhelmingly Conquer!  Yes, IN those things!  Do we need to fear conquering in these things!?!

But there is more.........  Oh, my soul, have you not heard?  Perfect love drives out fear........

Oh, my soul!  Oh, my soul!  Oh, my soul!  Do you believe it yet!?!

Call upon the Lord!  Call upon the God of Peace!  Call upon the God who is with you!  Call upon the God of Righteousness!  Call upon the God of Healing!

Call upon the Lord our Banner!  Follow His banner wherever it leads you, and faint not!

Let His perfect love fill you and overflow through you........... to all those around you......

............ in All These Things.................

And yes......... in All These Things........... Overwhelmingly Conquer.......... in Love!

Oh yes.......

Faith, hope, and love..... abide these three............... but the greatest...............


........of these.........

........................is love.........!

...........................His love......!



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Lord, Why Am I Anxious..........