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0ne thing I heai so often is this populai, almost in style philosophy !"#! %&#' #() *+,&
#'& -( +..+/-!-+(0 #() -% 1+2 +.&'#!& -( +(& 1+2 3#((+! "#,& !"& +!"&'.

People say this all of the time aiounu heie. To choose love iathei than feai. This
saying is taken as gospel most of the time. It is an attiactive iuea anu makes a lot of
sense on the suiface. I actually get it - we shoulu not abiue in the feai of people but
we shoulu love them. That makes sense to me. We can ceitainly apply it to how we
live with otheis, but I'm kinu of weiiu. I ieally like to seaich anu stuuy things like
this out. Anu, baseu on my woiluview anu believing in sciiptuie anu the uou of the
Bible, when I uig ueepei I finu a philosophy that uoes not holu watei when it comes
to uou.


3&1$( "' 04215 6&'7 *$&1"' 04&0 2. 8"( 21 9"#$ "'$ 14":9( '"0 .$&* 426; In fact,
if he is love, nothing fiom him shoulu cause feai at all, 1"<; Bell can ceitainly not be
ieal, sin anu juugment foi ones actions aie unsubstantiateu, anu any feai coming
fiom making uecisions contiaiy to the ways of uou is cleaily inappiopiiate. ,'(< if
the uou of the Bible woulu cause us to feai, he must be evil because you cannot have
love anu feai in the same space4 5&3#2/& +% 3+2'/&0 "+6 3+2*) # *+,-(7 8+) &,&' #/9
2/ !+ %&#' "-:; ='0$*$102'>5 4"? .&10 ?$ /&' @:6- 0" 1:/4 *&(2/&9 /"'/9:12"'1
A7 $6A*&/2'> & 1&72'> ?204":0 9""B2'> &0 04$ #&92(207 ". 1:/4 &11:6-02"'1 2'
04$ .2*10 -9&/$;


Theie is something that we cannot ignoie in sciiptuie calleu the C%&#' +% !"& <+')4=
=0 6&7 2'0$*$10 7": 0" B'"? 04&0 04$ C.$&* ". 04$ !"*(D 21 6$'02"'$( 2' 04$
32A9$ EF 026$1 &'( 1/*2-0:*$ 1-$&B1 ". ":* .$&* ."* 426 6"*$ 04&' GFF 026$1 2'
#&*2":1 -9&/$1. >3'-.!2'& #3!2#**1 /!#!&/ !"#! !"& ?&7-((-(7 +% 6-/)+: -/ @!"& %&#' +%
!"& <+')=4 It is the staiting place when it comes to wisuom in this life. = 9"#$ 04&0
0421 C.$&*D 920$*&997 6$&'1 *$#$*$'/$5 4"'"*5 .$&*< 1"6$042'> "'$ ?":9( 4&#$
."* & B2'> 2' 04$ B2'>1 /":*0 2. 7": ?299; Something that I might say woulu seive
one well while in the king's piesence. This is how we aie to think of uou. Be is
awesome anu mighty anu woithy of oui ieveience.


,*$ .$&* &'( 9"#$ $#$' 6:0:&997 $H/9:12#$I Bow many loving paients woulu out
of the love they have foi theii kius, wain them of feaiful anu uangeious things. You
bettei believe I woulu wain my uaughtei if she weie in uangei of buining heiself on
a hot stove, oi getting hit by a cai while ciossing the stieet oi giabbing a poisonous
snake. Though it may cause hei feai, my stein wainings anu actions aie baseu in
love. Any loving paient woulu instill a healthy feai into theii chiluien if it meant
keeping them safe fiom haim.


J4$ 8"( ". 04$ 32A9$ 21 -$*.$/0 9"#$. >+ :23" -/ *+,& # .#'! +% "-/ 3"#'#3!&' !"#! "&
-/ -( #3!2#*-!1 *+,& .&'/+(-%-&)4 Be teaches us to feai him so we might walk in a way
that woulu keep ouiselves fiom haim anu fiom the coming juugment on a woilu
that wants nothing to uo with him. Theie is no gieatei uisplay of Bis love than when
Chiist offeieu himself to take the full wiath of uou on his own shoulueis as a
saciificial offeiing foi all humankinu. Be felt the weight of juugment foi eveiy single
man anu woman who has evei liveu on this eaith. This uou I speak of, I both know
anu love. Be is peifect love anu when I see him foi who he is, I can only give him the
honoi, ieveience anu awesome feai he ueseives as the king of my life. The thing
that is most wonuious to me is that +(3& A 2()&'/!#() !"& 6"+*&/+:& %&#' +% "-: B A
/&& "-/ .&'%&3! *+,& C #() #** +!"&' %&#' *+/&/ -!/ 7'-. #() .+6&' +,&' :& +(3& #() %+'
#**4 As someone once saiu, if you uo not feai uou, you have ieason to feai all else. If
you feai uou you no longei have ieason to feai anything.



Colossions 2:8-1u "Bewaie lest any man spoil you thiough philosophy anu vain
ueceit, aftei the tiauition of men, aftei the iuuiments of the woilu, anu not aftei
Chiist. Foi in Chiist uwelleth all the fullness of the uouheau bouily.
Anu ye aie complete in him, which is the heau of all piincipality anu powei."