Daily Reflections From Higher Things®

Today’s Reading: 1 John 4:16-21 Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 16:1-24; John 16:1-16 There is no fear in love, because 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) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. As a father, I am trying to teach my children to not fear policemen. "They are here to help you," I say. I want them to run to the police if they are in danger. Still, I must admit, even we as adults sometimes fear policemen, especially if we know that we are doing something illegal. We fear the police because they can punish us. And most police officers don’t know me, and so they don’t love me. If they were to arrest me or give me a ticket, they would lose no sleep over it. The same is true of judges. When you go to court, the judge is pretty intimidating. He doesn’t know you or love you. And he has the authority to punish you. Do you think of God as a policeman or a judge? Are you afraid of Him? Are you afraid that He is going to punis