I recently had an amazing experience while preparing a talk to give in sacrament meeting. I was asked to speak on a familiar passage from 1 John 4:18-19 which says, “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. We love him, because he first loved us.”
While these verses were very familiar, as I studied the context around them, I gained powerful new insights about God’s perfect love and how it can free us from fear. I want to share a few of these new insights that have deeply impacted me.
God’s Perfect Love is His Plan for Our Happiness
As I researched conference talks on perfect love, I was intrigued by how every talk on this topic opened by describing Heavenly Father’s plan for our happiness. One of the first talks I researched was Elder D. Todd Christofferson's talk from the October 2021 entitled The Love of God. I want to share with you the opening paragraph that really stood out to me. He starts,
"Our Heavenly Father loves us profoundly and perfectly. In His love, He created a plan, a plan of redemption and happiness to open to us all the opportunities and joys we are willing to receive, up to and including all that He has and is. To achieve this, He was even willing to offer His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, as our Redeemer. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” His is a Father’s pure love—universal to all yet personal to each. Jesus Christ shares with the Father this same perfect love."
At times I have had moments of being overwhelmed by Heavenly Father’s devotion to my happiness and the joy He desires me to receive. At times it is truly difficult to fully understand that He offers me everything He has and is—all knowledge and power to become like Him—out of complete, seeking-my-best-interest love. He does not merely love us generally or abstractly; He loves and cherishes each of us with intimate depth as His child.
Our Heavenly Parents truly want the best for us. But even more profound than simply wanting our success and accomplishment, They yearn for our full joy—joy that comes from meaningful relationships, from selflessly serving others, from pursuing passion, from overcoming weakness, from discovering truth, from sensing progress toward holiness and divine potential.
As I have recognized God’s desire for my complete happiness—not the world’s narrow and fleeting definitions of success or happiness but deep and lasting joy—I have felt His perfect love more profoundly.
I was humbled to realize that God’s perfect love is not just the love of Jesus Christ, as I had assumed, but also Heavenly Father’s complete devotion to giving us every blessing He has. His perfect love and His divine plan of happiness are inextricably connected. As we understand God’s plan for our joy, we more fully comprehend His infinite love for us.
Drawing Nearer to God Allows Us to Feel His Love More Deeply
Not only is God’s love embodied in His generous plan for our happiness; we can also feel His love for us directly and personally as we draw nearer to Him. The closer we come unto God, the more we open our hearts to recognize and receive His infinite love. As President Dieter F. Uchtdorf taught in his October 2009 Conference talk The Love of God, “Since God is love, the closer we approach Him, the more profoundly we experience love”
Many of us at times feel overwhelmed by life's demands. We strive to find balance with responsibilities as parents, in callings at church, in community obligations, as well as personal goals. Yet often our efforts often fall short and we end up feeling inadequate and lacking motivation to keep going.
As disciples of Christ, when fatigue and frustration creep in, we can choose to seek respite through drawing closer to God. Setting aside focused time to study teachings about Christlike love helps rejuvenate our spirits. As we pour over talks and scriptures, we open our minds to learn from loving examples of the Savior. We seek spiritual impressions personalized to strengthen us amidst weakness.
In the process, we feel enveloped in God’s love—like a warm blanket wrapping us in peace that calms our troubled souls. We are reminded of our divine identity and purpose in God’s plan. Our spiritual strength is renewed line upon line. We find renewed willingness, empathy, and hope empowering us to keep trying our best despite imperfection.
The Apostle John gave us a beautiful promise: “Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.” (1 John 3:21-22). As we keep God’s commandments and diligently strive to love as He loves, repent and become more like our Savior, pray earnestly, serve others generously, our hearts become increasingly pure. And our confidence in Him grows exponentially because we are aligning our will and way of being with His. We begin seeing life through His eyes, feeling glimpses of what He feels.
To Dwell in God’s Love, We Must Choose to Love as He Loves
However, to fully dwell with God, to become one with Him and abide in His love eternally, it is not enough to simply receive His love. We must learn to genuinely love others with the same pure, seeking-their-eternal-growth love that He has for all His children—what John calls being “made perfect in love” (1 John 4:18). We cannot fully unite our will with God’s if there remains any group, any person we exclude from our sincere care and compassion. But how do we love others with God’s love if they are struggling, wandering, or embracing lifestyles contrary to the Lord’s teachings?
Jeffrey R. Holland clarified in his April 2014 General Conference talk that “Jesus clearly understood what many in our modern culture seem to forget: that there is a crucial difference between the commandment to forgive sin (which He had an infinite capacity to do) and the warning against condoning it (which He never ever did even once)". God calls us to lead others to Christ by lovingly inviting them to come unto Him through living His gospel, while also forgiving those who will not come.
While God always loves the sinner, He does not excuse or justify sin. Similarly, we must love others without embracing choices contrary to God’s commandments. We must love in ways that invite people unto the Savior rather than supporting choices that draw them away from Him.
However, with our imperfect wisdom and judgment, loving others God's way is not always straightforward or obvious. Many of us have family or friends who have distanced themselves from the Church or no longer share our faith. We strive to express unconditional love while standing firm as devoted disciples of Christ. Seeking God's guidance in prayer, we can find creative ways to sincerely convey care and support on their life journey while gently testifying of gospel truths.
For example, we can readily share positive stories of faith instead of just complaining about frustrations. We can find common ground in serving others while allowing room for differing beliefs. We can display uplifting messages to invite light rather than convict. As we draw upon God's wisdom and perfect love, we steer a course of compassion that avoids compromising devotion to Jesus Christ and His gospel. By loving others through the Savior's merciful eyes rather than our limited perspective, we help open doors that their hearts might turn heavenward again.
Elder D. Todd Christofferson explained that “it is your choice—They honor your agency. You must choose to love Them, to serve Them, to keep Their commandments. Then They can more abundantly bless you as well as love you.” As we strive to love others as God loves them—desiring their ultimate happiness and return to Him—we become one with Him. We begin to see others through His eyes and feel toward them what He feels. We dwell in unity and harmony with His infinite love. We become like the Savior as His perfect love flows through us to those around us.
Abiding in God’s Love Casts Out All Fear
What is the ultimate blessing of fully receiving God’s perfect love—keeping His commandments, striving to become like Christ, aligning our hearts with the Father’s—and learning to purely love others with their same redemptive love? The Apostle John taught, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear” (1 John 4:18). As we come to not just understand but personally experience God’s perfect love—both through studying His generous plan and feeling His infinite care directly in our lives through the Holy Ghost—we become confident in our relationship with Him. We come to know, really know, that we are His beloved sons and daughters, that He will never abandon us, and that ultimately, nothing can overpower or threaten our eternally sealed belonging as part of His family.
Even more, as we gain spiritual strength through keeping God’s commandments, embrace the power of Christ’s Atonement to perfect the flawed parts of us, and develop compassion toward others, we find there is nothing left to fear—no possible failure devastating enough, no perceived weakness shaming enough, no mortal or spiritual danger threatening enough to remove us from Heavenly Parents’ protecting arms.
We all fear to some degree. It is part of the mortal experience. But abiding in God’s love provides an eternal perspective that overcomes ultimate fears. His perfect love, manifested through Christ’s redemptive power, frees us from the finality of physical death, offering assured resurrection and precious time to repent so that we need not suffer spiritual death eternally. As I have studied and sought to understand God’s marvelous plan of redemption—created for us simply because He loves us—my mortal fears over aging, sickness and even death have melted into awe and expectation of immortality, eternal growth and overwhelmingly joyful reunion with my Heavenly Parents.
In a world filed with fear, heartache, anger and confusion, we can feel power and protection through better understanding God’s infinite love—both His perfect plan for our happiness and His tender care for each of us personally. I invite all to study God’s love more deeply by feasting on the words of the prophets through the scriptures and talks from General Conference. Immerse yourself in their teachings about receiving God’s love into our lives and then letting it radiate outward to others.
Set aside more time for meaningful prayer and really pour out your heart’s pains and joys. Let the Spirit fill you with God’s warmth and light in precisely the ways you need. Look for opportunities to serve someone going through difficulty—to give time and effort to meet needs great or small. You will feel His love flow through you to uplift that sister or brother. Even strive to see those who have hurt or offended you through God’s infinitely compassionate eyes rather than the world’s judging ones.
I promise God knows and loves you. He is eager to lift you up. Choose now to study His words, seek His voice, serve His children, repent, and align your life with His. In doing so, your fears and insecurities will vanish and you will truly be able to feel God’s infinite, protecting light and love both now and for eternity as you prosper stronger.
If you would like to learn more about how you can better receive personal revelation in your life please visit ProsperStronger.com and download the free guide to personal revelation. Thank you!
Comments