Fear No Fear

“Finally, be all of one mind, be loving toward one another, be gracious, and be kind” (1 Peter 3:8, MEV). The world is not full of nice speech. If you doubt that, go online. The (perceived) anonymity of online interactions gives people a license to say whatever they want. Online we see all the true feelings of people’s hearts come out. All the vitriol. All the negative. All the tearing down. All the things that they would NEVER say to our faces. It all comes out. It is, sadly, normal. It is expected. It is the human condition. But God isn’t like that. He is always good, always pure, always blessing, always kind, always gentle, always patient, and always righteous. In everything He says and in everything He does. One of the things He did was to give us an AMAZING gift. WE can be like HIM. A key way that we can do that is to SPEAK like He does. Not the exact words necessarily, but the pattern. The choice of content. The choice to speak with LOVE. It is so unusual and so against what naturally is found in the world on a consistent basis, that we will get a reputation (John 13:35). What a great witness we can be. To speak like God. To say the same kinds of things. For the same reasons. What a marvellous opportunity we are given. To participate in God’s kind of communication. What trust that shows us. What love He has for us that He brings us inside and lets us be like Him. What a GREAT God we serve!