There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.

— 1 John 4:18

1 Behold what manner of love the Father has given to 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.

2 Beloved, we are now children of God, and what we will be has not yet been revealed. We know that when Christ appears, we will be like Him, for we will see Him as He is.

11 This is the message you have heard from the beginning: We should love one another.

14 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. The one who does not love remains in death.

16 By this we know what love is: Jesus laid down His life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.

23 And this is His commandment: that we should believe in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and we should love one another just as He commanded us.

— 1 John 3:1-2, 11, 14, 16, 23

Thoughts on Today’s Reading

Grace, mercy and love from Christ to you.

Jesus’s disciple John, once known for wanting to call down fire to burn Jesus’s opposers, later after he received the Holy Spirit, marvelously wrote about perfect love casting out fear so we should love one another. The Spirit doesn’t just use our natural gifts; He shapes our nature. If we are in a season right now feeling stuck, such as the same anger keeps showing up, the same insecurities keep whispering, or the same unwanted habits keep hindering us, He will break them with His power for us.

Our growth in Jesus’s life will not be a lost cause. The Holy Spirit will not be frustrated with us or give up on us. He keeps working to refine us and conform us to the images of Christ. Our growth often feels like pruning. Let’s stop judging our progress by what’s visible. Let’s stop comparing our pace with someone else’s highlighted or impressive moments. Instead, let’s ask, “Am I becoming more like Jesus? Am I more anchored joyfully and freely in Christ?” The Spirit is working on us this way.