Christian Love!

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears   is not perfected in love.  1 John 4:18

When you were saved, God transformed you. You no longer were a slave to sin; you were made a slave of righteousness (Romans 6).  In his Gospel, John recorded the following about what our Lord said about abiding in Him:

I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from      Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in   Me,  he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love  ( John 15:5-9).

To abide in Christ means to live, continue, or remain in Him.  In Romans  8:1, all Christians are described as “in Christ.” The difference between abiding in Christ and not is between being saved or lost. Because we are in Christ, Paul tells us there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus. In other words Christian, God has shown you mercy because of the sacrifice of His Son on the cross. You are free from the curse of death and hell. That is the love God showed to you, yet  while you were a sinner, the righteous One died in your place.

Therefore, there is nothing for us to fear because God’s perfect love sets aside all our fears. Because there is no fear of punishment, we can live without fearing what happens to  us when we die. Now we must all live lives that reflect that we abide in Christ Jesus. When we live a  life that remains in Christ, we will bear much fruit because we are merely the branches,  but Jesus is the vine that gives us our ability to bear fruit.  If you are not bearing the fruit of a believer, is it possible you are not His? If so, you will be gathered with all the other dried branches and cast into the fire.

If you don’t know Him today, cry out to God to acknowledge you are a sinner in need of a Savior. Fear  is a tool of Satan, but love comes from God. Come to Christ,  and He will give you peace amid any storm.

Your shepherd,

Pastor Mark