Fear.. Love... and the Fear of Not being Loved

fear...Love....and the Fear of Not being Loved

Philippians 4 1-9

So, brothers and sisters, I love you and miss you. You are my joy and my crown. Therefore, dear friends, keep your relationship with the Lord firm! I encourage both Euodia and Syntyche to have the attitude the Lord wants them to have. Yes, I also ask you, Syzugus, my true partner, to help these women. They fought beside me to spread the Good News along with Clement and the rest of my coworkers, whose names are in the Book of Life.

Always be joyful in the Lord! I’ll say it again: Be joyful! Let everyone know how considerate you are. The Lord is near. Never worry about anything. But in every situation let God know what you need in prayers and requests while giving thanks. Then God’s peace, which goes beyond anything we can imagine, will guard your thoughts and emotions through Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers and sisters, keep your thoughts on whatever is right or deserves praise: things that are true, honorable, fair, pure, acceptable, or commendable. Practice what you’ve learned and received from me, what you heard and saw me do. Then the God who gives this peace will be with you.

I love the way Paul speaks the truth in love. He is encouraging his fellow believers and those he has been sent to lead and cover. He opens with how much he loves them all….right where they are, as they are. He speaks of a desire for them, to be with them and how he wears that relationship with pride / honor.

Look at what he says next, keep your focus on God first. He does not say focus on what “I” am saying, how much “I” love you and you own “me” something (usually respect due to how we have mentored or cared for someone) He keeps all eyes focused on Christ. He encourages them to seek this relationship first.

Paul goes on to speak highly of the work of others as He is making these requests. He is not touting what he alone has done; he is expressing how they are one body.

It is my opinion that a large factor of how conflict either gets resolved or propelled into a drama is within the next few scriptures. We take our focus off Christ and get into the problem and short comings of people in our midst. We start to desire to “fix” the other person, “Tinker” with how and why they do not see things as we do. We get anxious, irritated, defensive, justified, self righteous…..angry.

Fear is what we have been talking about along with Trust over the past few months. Counseling programs have a diagram that shows “anger” being the tip of an iceberg with all those emotions felt being unresolved beneath the surface of the water. I would like to propose a thought. What if anger is the surface of the water and “Fear” is the cap of the iceberg.

What if we would visualize Christ walking on that fluid surface of anger coming toward us….wearing our cap of fear? We are to grow up into our head which is Christ. He does not wear a hat labeled fear. In fact God promised that there is no fear in love. He also said that pure love casts out all fear.

We cannot wear 2 hats on one head. I think in the south we state it another way…2 horses one backside. Paul closed these encouraging words “then the God who gives this peace will be with you”. Will you receive it? Paul showed us how in these scriptures.

I pray for us all that others will see how considerate we are. I pray that the peace and joy of the Lord is our today and that we rejoice. I pray that we grow in relationship with Christ today all the while giving thanks that we are one body upheld by His righteousness. I pray that those who have hurt us or threatened us in anyway be forgiven because I do not believe they knew what they were doing. I pray that Christ meet them right where they are and bring them understanding so that restoration may take place. I pray that God’s peace, which goes beyond anything we can imagine, will guard our thoughts and emotions through Christ Jesus. I thank God that He is showing us thoughts that are Holy, Lovely and Pure so that we can be holy….because He is holy.

If Christ is our foundation - that means He is literally the road way, because the ground we walk on uphold us.  Stay with me here - Christ himself said he is "the way" "the truth" and "the life".  So write and think about the surface you are walking on.  Look beneath that surface even if for a moment and take a quick peak.  See if your way has truth under it.  Now look up and see if the destination seems to be heading you toward life

 

I trust that all this is done, because of Christ our Lord, the abilities of our God and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit working within us this day. Amen

Candace