Mature Love

Bless you, beloved. Today is Day number four (4). For some of you, it is Day number five (as some have informed me). You are doing outstanding. Keep it up; either way, we only have one day and a wake-up to get to victory. Let’s look again at today’s text:

“Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness on the day of judgment,

because as he is, so are we in this world. 

There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love.”

(1 John 4:17–18 NRSV)

“And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world.

Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love.”

(1 John 4:17–18 NLT-SE)

“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.”

(1 John 4:17–18 MESSAGE)

Yesterday, we spoke about living in God. Have you spent your day Living in God? Making every decision in such a way as to ask God how to handle this current situation. Treating people as your brother or sister. Being conscious of your place in the kingdom of God. According to our text, this is how “our love grows more perfect.” NLT More τελειος in the Greek. 

This does not mean you will never lose it in the love category. Wouldn’t that be great? Perfect in this context means your love would be more mature and more complete, and your love would achieve more. Let’s look at that. 

When you are more mature, you operate with better information. You are informed by experience when you are a mature person. Childishness is recognized by the idea that one should have known and done better in that circumstance. When an adult is childish, they operate in a way that suggests their experience should have equipped them to make better decisions. When one is mature, one avoids pitfalls. Both obvious ones and obscure ones. Maturity means making wise decisions because you know the problems associated with unwise choices. Maturity then would extend to every part of your life and yourself.

Yes, mature love means loving yourself maturely as well. The same desire to see others do well also means you love yourself enough to do well. Mature love means the same passion you have for others you have for yourself. Love yourself enough not to settle for childish things. We can do better. Do we maturely love ourselves? Is our love mature enough to make those hard decisions?

One of the young ladies in our church spoke for our women’s conference, and she said something intriguing. She said, “Often we show up for everyone else, but seldom do we show up for ourselves.” We celebrate everyone else, but seldom do we celebrate ourselves. We encourage everyone to love themselves enough to engage in the rigor of self-care, but we allow ourselves to be abused. Where is the maturity to say, “I MATTER!” This is mature love. Your love for your loved ones should also extend to you. Do you celebrate someone getting a new house? Have you thought about treating yourself to a new home? You are celebrating someone’s graduation. Have you decided where you are is not worth celebrating, and will you do something about it? 

Maturity does not mean your love is mature for others and not for yourself. I want to love with perfection. I want to be a perfect, mature friend, someone my friends can count on for wise counsel. I also need to count on me. I also need to be there for myself. I need to show up for me.

As we live in God, our love grows more perfect. (1 John 4:17a NLT-SE)

“Therefore let us go on toward perfection, leaving behind the basic teaching about Christ, and not laying again the foundation: repentance from dead works and faith toward God,”

(Hebrews 6:1 NRSV)

Yours Because I am His, 

Leo Colon D. Min., M.Div. 

Pastor