Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “Taking care of your soul”
Our Bible verse for today: “There is no fear in love; instead, perfect love drives out fear.” 1 John 4:18 (HCSB)
Our thought for today: “God’s answer to fear is love”
The dictionary defines fear as “A feeling of agitation and anxiety; a feeling of disquiet or apprehension; a reason for dread.” Obviously if you have feelings of agitation, anxiety, disquiet, apprehension, and dread then your soul is unsettled and you are not at peace. Something is creating a sense of fear in you.
I love the statement Rick Warren makes in his book “The Daniel Plan”: “God’s answer to fear is love. God enables us to love the fear out of one another.”
What a great thought, “God enables us to love the fear out of one another.” Rick wrote that statement within the context of illustrating the importance of having a good church family or support group of fellow Christians who love and care about you. “The Daniel Plan” is all about creating and maintaining a healthy and balanced lifestyle. One of the key elements to doing that is to surround yourself with the right friends who share your values and goals, and who are committed to helping you achieve them.
This is essential. To live well, and to cultivate and maintain a healthy soul, we must surround ourselves with like-minded friends who love us, care about us, and who will support and encourage us. Fear lays waste to the soul. Fear robs our joy, stunts our growth, and poisons the heart. But love drives out fear. God’s answer to fear is love. And when we’re part of a group who loves one another, we can love the fear right out of each other.
Rick goes on to write, “We drive fear from our community (the church) by loving one another so supportively that each person feels safe inside the group.”
Can you think of times when your church family loved you so supportively that it drove your fear away? I’m sure you can. Have there been times when you’ve done that for others? I hope so. A soul that knows it is loved is a healthy soul. Being enveloped in the love of God and in the love of God’s people is the best thing you can do for your soul. If you already have a good church family who loves you, supports you, and encourages you, then I urge you to meet with them every chance you get. If you don’t have such a church family then I invite you to visit us at Oak Hill Baptist because you will find one there.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 