Blog - Joyful Curmudgeon - Blog
A Mary T. Hoffman Commentary from All-Creatures.org

 

"Joyful Curmudgeon" An oxymoron?
No! I see all the beauty of God's creation and I'm joyful.  At the same time, I see all the suffering and corruption going on in the world, and feel called to help expose and end it so that we may have true peace and compassion.

 

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Fear Makes the World Go ’Round (continued) – 28 February 2007
By Mary T. Hoffman

Is it any wonder that the Book of Revelation of John the Divine uses imagery that is militaristic and violent in order to describe the return of Jesus and the end of this fallen world? Since the world deals in fear, the Lord tells them what they should really fear.

But the Word of God also tells us that there is no fear in love and that perfect love casts out fear (John 4:16-21). How much better it would be if we simply learned to live in love, which would counter the bullies and warmongers of this world. Then there would be no wrath of God to fear.

We can only conclude that we humans bring fear and its consequences down upon ourselves, since for thousands of years God has shown us what He wants from us (Micah 6:8):

8. He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? ~ King James Version

Revelation 19:13-16

13. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.

14. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.

15. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

[The “sharp sword” is the Word of God that the Lord uses to convict the hard-of-heart of this world.]

16. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.
~ King James Version

1 John 4:16-21

16 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.

17. 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.

18. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

19. We love him, because he first loved us.

20. If a man say, I love God, and hateth 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?

21. And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.
~ King James Version

But our love cannot stop with our fellow human beings. How can we say that we love God if we abuse and destroy the rest of His creation and the other animals that He created before Adam and Eve?

Go on to: Fear Makes the World Go ’Round (continued) – 1 March 2007
Return to: Fear Makes the World Go ’Round (continued) – 27 February 2007
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