Fearful and Unloved

“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God in your body and in you spirit, which are God's.”
‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭6: 19-20 

Fear can cripple a man in an instant. It can cause complete paralysis, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Fear can blind the keenest of men and cause him to cower at life. Fear blinds us to that which God so greatly desires to reveal in the heart of every man- His unconditional love. A love that can overcome every experience, every person, every instant that has sought to steal our joy, our peace, our very lives. Every trauma, every pain, every hurt, every hurtful word, every hurtful action, every chain, every addiction, every need, every void, a love that can heal everything. Love and fear cannot coexist. They will war against one another. Only one can win. And so much of this victory depends on that which you choose to allow to win. There are two enemies warring against one another, and yet, the greatest of these is love. What o man, do you have to fear?
Fear of the unknown?
Fear of not making the right decisions? 
Fear of not being in God's will?
Fear of not pleasing others?
Fear of not living up to your own standards?
Or perhaps the standards of others?
The standards society has set before us?
Fear of losing? 
Fear of being forsaken?
Fear of being alone?

Let this truth bring comfort to your soul today. You are loved greatly and cared for deeply. You have nothing to fear.
You, my friend, were bought with a very heavy price. You were not cheap. In fact, this price that was paid had already been planned out before time ever existed. If you read in Genesis 3, you had already been talked about and the price that was going to be paid to  redeem your life and restore your relationship with God had already been planned. 

In Isaiah 53, we see a small glimpse of the pain staking agony it cost someone else to ransom this life of yours. It was nothing short of ugly, disturbing, abominable. 

In the four Gospels you read of the lengths that were required of this man not only to be born into this world, but to endure the sting of death for 33 years. None of it was beautiful, it was back-breaking, mind-boggling, unexplainable labor. 

Do you realize that Mary, a young teenage girl, endured ridicule and sorrow, to carry and birth a man that was born simply to pay a ransom for you? She didn't even know you, and yet because she loved God, she was willing to show love to another person, you, and give her son as a ransom for your life. 33 years of being alone, homeless, and feeling like an outsider, misunderstood, and yet, He did it for you. He endured 33 years in this sin-ridden world, just to die...for you. 

None of this thus far has even taken into account the days leading up to this payment and the hours He spent paying for your life. The lies He endured from Judas, even allowing this traitor at His table to eat with Him. What humility, what love. He had a larger view in mind...and it was you. Your life, your eternity. 

What about the sorrow and the drops of blood He sweat in the garden? The deep sorrow He experienced having to be soon separated from His Father, such great pain. And of course the physical pain and mocking He endured. The scoffing, the scourging, the punches, the torn flesh, the swelling, the spitting, the whipping, the nailing, the suffocating, the humiliation. Carrying a splintered, heavy cross, with a back full of open wounds, pouring blood from His head as the crown of thorns weighed heavy upon his brow, able to barely see or perhaps not see at all. A swollen, bloodied face, a marred image, unlike the man the people had praised just days earlier, proclaiming, "Hosanna, Hosanna!"  Can you imagine what it felt like to be nailed to a cross, struggling to breath, pushing up on your feet to take a breath with open wounds being pressed against a splintered cross? The mocking from soldiers, the hurling of insults from the crowds, the weeping of your mother at the foot of your cross, the stripping down to your loin cloth, being humiliated, for all to see. 

Not to mention, the three days that were spent in Hell, as the battle continued to rage on, even after His death. 

But oh that glorious morning when He rose from the grave, how quiet, how peaceful, how glorious it must have been! And all that time, through pain and sorrow, mocking and scourging, fighting and waging war, He had your best interest in mind. He had a greater good in mind...you. Your eternity, your well being, your life.

So tell me friend, are you not a rather expensive and costly commodity? Would this same man, who is your Lord, your God, your Savior, so easily allow you to go astray? Would He give your life over to the things of this world so easily ? Would He allow you to return to your old ways so absent mindedly, without any care? 

Fear not my friend, you were bought at a great price. You are a very expensive commodity. You are no longer yours, you are His. And the things that He treasures He loves with everything in Him. Do you question that? Look at the garden of Gethsemane and see how He sweat drops of blood for you because you are highly favored and deeply loved.  Weeping and dripping blood for the love He had for you and the love He had for the Father. Great sorrow because of the separation He was about to experience from someone He greatly loved. Read, research, you'll find out about the great distress and heaviness one would have to be under to bleed like this. 

You are His, my friend, and He is yours. Stop fearing, trust Him. Trust Him because He is trustworthy. Trust Him because He loves you deeply. Do not fear, instead, absolve to live fearlessly. You have a Father who holds your future in His hands. Fear not, for He is with you. He will not forsake you. He loves you so much that He was willing to spend an eternity planning out how He would redeem you and ransom you from the grave.

"Greater love hath no man than this, that He would lay down His life for His friends."
​John 15:13