Peace - a ‘result’ of love

My present understanding of the kind of peace I am pursuing is: “A deep, abiding confidence and trust (PEACE) experienced when a mind accepts and believes that another mind loves to be with them, (JOY). Genuine JOY and PEACE experienced ‘together’ increase a person’s capacity to cope with stress - with life. Sounds good. But what about some of the road blocks that seem to be thrown in the way of that JOY/PEACE experience?

One ‘roadblock’, called ‘fear’, has been shoving itself into my attention recently due to another experience I have been ‘involved’ in.

There is a couple we thought we were ‘helping’ by their living here on the farm. When they came some time ago they confided how they had been so ‘mistreated’ by others where they had previously lived. In my mind I said: ‘It will be different here’. But much to their growing dismay they have experienced the same ‘problems’ here they thought they had ‘left behind’. And of course it must be the ‘landlord’, the ‘manager’, that is at fault, for what have they done to deserve such ‘treatment’? For one thing, they have not had all the amenities of ‘good living’ in their apartment. Up until this winter they were burdened with bringing in wood for the wood stove when it was cold outside. They have been often stressed because of the slowness of remodeling in the farm house due in part to the problem that the main person who was doing the major remodeling was also working full time to help support the financial needs on the farm (manager) and also partly due to the lack of funds, which of course, they felt was also the fault of the manager. They tried to counsel the managers that if other folks here would have been made to ‘pay’ all that they should then that wouldn’t have been any financial problem, would there? And since they have had to ‘put up’ with remodeling challenges why should they ‘pay’ more? On top of those stresses, the manager has from time to time had the audacity to ask that they spend part of their valuable spare time helping at the farm. Their condition was then deeply worsened when the managers at the farm stepped out of the couple’s limits of legal Sabbath keeping, much to this couple’s deep dismay. This act on the part of the managers was so awful that the couple even considered requesting that the management be removed from the local church family membership. Another option was to disassociate themselves from such ‘sinners’ as soon as possible so as not to be further contaminated. That seemed a good decision to make.

Since the couple had been able to ‘save’ while living at the farm, as well as pay off debts they had ‘accumulated’, they decided now was the time for them to ‘escape’ to Tennessee where they could be ‘free’ from contaminating influences. If they were to even consider remaining any longer they were afraid that it would be to their eternal ruin. They were also afraid, though, that they wouldn’t have enough funds to move. They were afraid that they might not be able to find a place to live. They expressed fear about going and fear if they could not ‘depart’. They were afraid of associations with the worst sinners here, yet afraid of the effects to themselves of not ‘winning’ others to what they believed to be ‘right’. They were afraid when there were problems with the loan for a house they were attempting to buy. They were afraid they wouldn’t have enough furniture to ‘set up housekeeping’ on their own. They were afraid they . . . . .

In context of the above I had been pondering 2 Timothy 1:7 and mentioned it in the last notes. From that text and while thinking of the above situation my mind went to 1 John 4:18. There is a whole lot more in the letter John the beloved wrote, but for now I will share some of what I have been learning from it as I have attempted to ‘unpack’ it’s meaning. Below is the verse with some context. The italics comes from ‘Strong’s concordance. Following the ‘scripture’ and ‘strong’s’ definitions is ‘my’ present application - in blue.

1 John 4:16 - 21 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.
Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.
There is no fear terror in love; but perfect complete love affection, benevolence, (lavish) feast casteth out fear terror exceedlingly: because fear hath holds torment dwarfs, curtails, chastises, reserves for infliction. He that feareth exceedingly alarmed is not made perfect completed, grows up, matures, accomplished, consummated in love.
We love him, because he first loved us.
If a man say, I love God, and hateth loves less, detest, persecute his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?
And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.

There is no terror in true ‘other-centered’ benevolence, such as when giving a lavish feast. An attitude of ‘other-centered’ love releases one from the paralyzing effects of terror. Terror dwarfs and curtails a person’s ability to live. We are alive and love God because He first demonstrated that kind of love to us. But if I say I love God and yet love this couple less (or anyone), I am a liar (and Satan is the father of lies). If I can’t love this couple who I can see, how can I love God who I can’t see? But praise God, as I am learning to love God, He is empowering me (when He commands, He empowers) to love others – including this couple and my friend, the cat lady.

That kind of love is awesome. God’s ‘other-centered’ love is also liberating from the paralyzing effects of fear.

So how does “PEACE” fit in to the above?

Might the answer in part at least correlate with “Great Peace have they which love Thy law and nothing shall offend them”.

I have a house to clean so must go for now.

May God’s peace grow in you today.

Maiden, bringer of peace