God is Love

God is our Father and he loves us with a perfect love that exceeds all mortal understanding. This love goes far beyond any particular circumstance and spans through eternity.  All things are continually before the Lord.  The love of God is so profound and powerful that He can allow us the opportunity to suffer and grow through uncomfortable and often painful experiences as He knows that these experiences will shape our character.  Through our mortal experiences we are to be shaped into the likeness of His Son, Jesus Christ.  His love transcends time and circumstance.  He allows us these opportunities, all the while, suffering with us, comforting us, and, I believe, even weeping with us (literally or figuratively, it matters not).  Jesus Christ took upon Himself all the pain, sickness, and afflictions of His people.


God does not wish us to be fearful of Him.  His statues, laws, commandments and wisdom come from eternity into eternity.  Lessons learned over the vast expanse of time and time beyond time all comprehended with a perfect knowledge, love and understanding of application that ought not and cannot not be refuted.  His perspective is an eternal perspective.  When the scriptures teach us to "fear" God it is a healthy respect that inspires growth.  It is an acknowledgment of of His divinity, perfection and omniscience.  It is not however, a command to cower.

We are sometimes taught to associate fear and guilt with God.  So naturally, when we harden our hearts to any obligation to Him we feel as if a burden has been lifted.  Unfortunately this is a hindrance and not a release.  It is a procrastination or postponement of the inevitable shame that will accompany us when presented before the Lord and all His glory and be shown what could have been, shown who we could have been.  When our lives are not in harmony with that of the Lord Jesus Christ we are, in all intents and purposes, hedging up the way to peace and joy.  By so doing, we are closing our minds and hardening our hearts to the greater possibilities and blessings the Lord has prepared for those who love Him and diligently seek Him.

Knowing the true nature of God and His plan for His children brings true peace and not just an absence of fear or guilt. Seek to know His true character and therein find the path to peace.