Fearless Love

Welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread.

Today's reading, titled Fearless Love, was written by Monica LaRose. There are some images so powerful they can never be forgotten. That was my experience when I viewed a famous photograph of the late Princess Diana of Wales. At first glance, the captured scene looks mundane.

Smiling warmly, the princess is shaking the hand of an unidentified man. But it's the photograph's story that makes it remarkable. On April 19, 1987, when Princess Diana visited London Middlesex Hospital, the United Kingdom was engulfed in a wave of panic as it confronted the AIDS epidemic. Not knowing how the disease, which often killed with terrifying speed, was spread, the public at times treated AIDS victims like social pariahs. So it was a stunning moment when Diana, with ungloved hands and a genuine smile, calmly shook an AIDS patient's hand that day. That image of respect and kindness would move the world to treat victims of the disease with similar mercy and compassion.

The picture reminds me of something I often forget. Freely and generously offering the love of Jesus to others is worth it. John reminded early believers in Christ that to let love wither or hide in the face of our fear is really to live in death. And to love freely and unafraid, filled and empowered with the Spirit's self-giving love, is to experience resurrection life in its fullness.

Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is from 1 John chapter 3 verse 1 and verses 11 through 18. See what great love the Father has lavished on us that we should be called children of God. And that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know Him.

For this is the message you heard from the beginning. We should love one another. Do not be like Cain who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him?

Because his own actions were evil and his brothers were righteous. Do not be surprised, my brothers and sisters, if the world hates you. We know that we have passed from death to life because we love each other. Anyone who does not love remains in death. Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer.

And you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him. This is how we know what love is. Jesus Christ laid down His life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.

If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech, but with actions and in truth. Let's pray. God of love, in 1 John 4.18 we are told that there is no fear in love and that perfect love casts out fear. Help us then to perfectly love as You have loved us and gave Your very life to display what perfect love looks like. Give us courage to move into areas where we perceive danger in order to share Your life-giving love and healing today. It's in Your name that we pray. Amen.