The Year of Fear

I got this email from Sarah Rudolph Kamp last week after I posted the devotional “Who occupies your house:  Fear or Faith?”  

This is blowing MY MIND! Someone spoke on this verse (in 1 John) and used the metaphor of a "house" yesterday at church! It's titled "The House that Fear Built".

http://realitysf.com/sermon/the-house-that-fear-built/#video

Just wanted to revel in how funny God is that he touched you with this this past week as well!

I am fascinated with how God is always tying things together, repeating themes and concepts across the church.  When something keeps coming up where there’s no possible connection, like this instance, then I suspect God is really trying to get a point across.  His Holy Spirit is working through our prayers and our time in His word to focus us on something He needs us to see.  And this theme of faith vs. fear is one I’ve been seeing for over a year. 

The fear is a pervasive fear, not of any one thing, but different things for different demographics or belief groups.  The uninsured with medical problems fear the loss of insurance.  The immigrants fear deportation and social stigma.  The rich fear the Democrats.  The families fear the pedophiles.  The single fear loneliness.  The Republicans fear Alabama.  The evangelical church fears Roy Moore fallout.  The powerful men fear the women of their past.  The famous fear losing followers.  The older people fear losing relevance.  The African-Americans fear abusive police.  The teachers fear school shootings.  Local governments, nationally and abroad, fear terrorist attacks on crowds.  The progressives fear the rural whites.  The conservatives fear the liberal elites. 

I strongly encourage you to listen to the talk above.  It’s 50 minutes, so you may have to do it in segments, like I did.  But when she read the passage surrounding the verse I used, John 4:18, I was astonished at the house imagery in The Message:

17-18 God is love. When we take up permanent residence in a life of love, we live in God and God lives in us. This way, love has the run of the house, becomes at home and mature in us, so that we’re free of worry on Judgment Day—our standing in the world is identical with Christ’s. There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life—fear of death, fear of judgment—is one not yet fully formed in love.

19 We, though, are going to love—love and be loved. First we were loved, now we love. He loved us first.

Let’s take up residence in the house of Love.