1 John 4:11-18 (Amplified Bible)
11) Beloved, if God loved us so [very much], we also ought to love one another.
12) No man has at any time [yet] seen God. But if we love one another, God abides (lives and remains) in us and His love (that love which is essentially His) is brought to completion (to its full maturity, runs its full course, is perfected) in us!
13) By this we come to know (perceive, recognize, and understand) that we abide (live and remain) in Him and He in us: because He has given (imparted) to us of His [Holy] Spirit.
14) And [besides] we ourselves have seen (have deliberately and steadfastly contemplated) and bear witness that the Father has sent the Son [as the] Savior of the world.
15) Anyone who confesses (acknowledges, owns) that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides (lives, makes His home) in him and he [abides, lives, makes his home] in God.
16) And we know (understand, recognize, are conscious of, by observation and by experience) and believe (adhere to and put faith in and rely on) the love God cherishes for us. God is love, and he who dwells and continues in love dwells and continues in God, and God dwells and continues in him.
17In this [union and communion with Him] love is brought to completion and attains perfection with us, that we may have confidence for the day of judgment [with assurance and boldness to face Him], because as He is, so are we in this world.
18There is no fear in love [dread does not exist], but full-grown (complete, perfect) love turns fear out of doors and expels every trace of terror! For fear brings with it the thought of punishment, and [so] he who is afraid has not reached the full maturity of love [is not yet grown into love's complete perfection].
There is a young lady that I work with and one of her favorite sayings is "I am so not able." It is one of those things that hangs in the room even after it is said. It has a lasting affect on the whole conversation. Months ago, whenever we would speak of love, trust and a long term relationship her response would be, "I am so not able." I would laugh, because I knew in my heart when the right man came she would be"so able," and I told her the same. Her normal response to my comment would be "I am going to need for you to stop." As I knew, God sent a man into her life, one that she was far from looking for and far from expecting. The fear and the trauma of relationships gone wrong in her past is gone, she looks to the future with renewed hope and a renewed sense of purpose and life. I just laugh to myself and say, "she is so able."
It is something when we have experienced hurts and disappointments and we close the door to love and even to hearing God's voice where love and relationship is concerned. The key to our heart becomes lost and we have fired the keeper of our soul all because it requires for us to live outside of the bubble that keeps us safe and untouched by mistakes and human error. What if Jesus decided to stay in Heaven with God the Father and to never take the chance on loving us and giving us an opportunity to make it right with God through Him? Where would we be today? It always strikes me as strange the first people crying out to God for forgiveness and the individuals needing the most protection, love and long suffering from God are the last ones to impart those gifts and characteristics on others. It is like the parable of the one who has his debt forgiven by the king and then would not forgive those who owed him. This man suffered a fate worse than any one's.
God never intended for us to live in fear, because He supplies the power, the love and the sound mind. He never wanted us "not to be able," for in our weaknesses He is our strength. We can overcome any obstacle in love if we abide in God as He abides in us. It is when we step outside of the veil of God's ability that we lose our ability to overcome our hurts, experiences and past. Live in love, Give in Love for if you rest on your own abilities you truly will find yourself unable, but when Jesus comes in new life and new love begin...And You are "So Able!"
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