Love Slows Down – Day 2

As I went looking for our next devotional about dads, I found this one named “Love Slows Down” by Joël and Jonathan Malm. In a world where we see so much of a desire or need for instant gratification the topic of slowing down is interesting. In a world where everyone is busy and always on the go the topic of slowing down is intriguing. Today’s devotional draws us in with the statement “We were made from love, made for love, and are called to live in God’s love.” Today’s devotional is based on the book “Love Slows Down” by author Joël Malm. Looking to learn more about the book, it speaks to how packed it is with truth, guidance, and spiritual wisdom. This devotional will carry us through a week as it is a 7-day devotional. Its introduction shares how it will help us slow down and trade in anger, anxiety, and hurry for life with God’s love! I’m excited to get to see where we go.

Let’s check out our scriptures for today’s devotional:

• 1 John 4:18
• Romans 8:38-39

‘There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. ‘

1 John 4:18

‘For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.’

Romans 8:38-39

Each morning I am so excited to get to see what God’s Word will say. I know God’s Word isn’t just words on a page or on a screen but rather God’s Word is alive and active and meets us right where we are at. Where are you today? What do the verses for today’s devotional speak to you? Will you cling to them? Will you meditate on them? Will you receive them?

Let’s be the dads who are filled with God’s love! Let’s be the dads who are filled to overflowing with God’s love! Let’s be the dads who from the overflow of our hearts, which is so filled with God’s love, pour love into our wives, kids, and the world around us! Let’s be the dads who are so filled with love that there is no fear! Let’s be the dads who allow God’s perfect love to drive out any threats or fears! Let’s be the dads who are so aligned with God that we are walking in faith, hope, and trust in Him rather than allowing the threats and lies of the devil to be trying to create fear of punishment when we know that “there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus“! Let’s be the dads who are living by faith, trust, and hope in Jesus so that His love casts out all fear and so that we don’t allow fear to be ruling our lives! Let’s be the dads who are “convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, nor heavenly rulers, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord“. Let’s be the dads who are with God and who are living our lives to bring our wives, our kids, and our world to Him too!

Today’s devotional has been provided by Joël and Jonathan Malm (http://joelmalm.com).

Reading through today’s devotional, here are some takeaways for me:
(check out the devotional on your own too to see if you pick up other nuggets, and please share your findings in the comments)

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Takeaways from Today’s Devotional:
“Perfect Love Drives Out Fear“

• Let’s be the dads who cling to God’s purpose for having made us!
  • “We were made for the security, connection, and control/empowerment found in God’s love.“
• Let’s be the dads who cling to God and live to bring Him praise, honor, and glory!
• Let’s be the dads who know when we go off track and quickly turn back to God quickly rather than allowing a foothold for the devil to try to get in and manipulate us!
  • “When sin separated Adam and Eve from that love, they immediately felt fear. And we’ve all been feeling fear ever since.“
• Let’s be the dads who are aware of the lights on the dashboard of life that are telling us that we are get low in our love tank and leaving space for fear to show up or enter in!
  • “Fear has lots of faces. It appears as anxiety, nervousness, or worry.“
• Let’s be the dads who are looking for the fainter or less obvious dashboard lights of life that can give us early warning signs that we are in need of a fillup.
  • “Sometimes it’s more subtle, showing up as indecision or wanting to check out or numbing ourselves. All fear is connected to a deep feeling of concern that we may not get the security, connection, or control we need.“
• Let’s be the dads who have received Jesus and have allow Him to restore the hope and love to be filling us up as He is the fountain of life!
• Let’s be the dads who have receive Jesus and have allowed Him to graft us back onto the family tree of God as sons of the most high God and who are living our lives so that our wives and kids can and are doing the same thing!
• Let’s be the dads who are confident because we know that Jesus restored our connection to God and so we don’t need to fear anymore!
• Let’s be the dads who choose to seek God and God’s love always!
• Let’s be the dads who take this perfect love from God into our lives so that the overflow will allow us to step out in faith and trust that God will give us the wisdom and discernment to walk out days in His perfect security, connection, and control!
• Let’s be the dads who receive God’s perfect love and allow Him to be our provider of security, connection, and control so that we can live out our lives in a way that will not only bring Him praise, honor, and glory but will also open the door so that our wives, kids, and world will feel that same draw and step into it too!
• Let’s be confident in our Lord because His Word tells us how “neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, nor heavenly rulers, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
• Today’s devotional speaks to this topic as follows:
  • “Jesus restored our direct connection to God’s love, so we don’t have to be afraid anymore. We just have to seek Him and His love. Our spouse, kids, job, home, who we know, and what we have will never bring the perfect security, connection, and control we want. Only God can do that. When we try to get those needs met anywhere apart from Him it will always lead to anxiety and worry. “
• Let’s be the dads who realize that fear is real.
• Let’s be the dads who when we see fear in ourselves, our wives, our kids, or our world know that we can’t just use logic or facts to stop it but to truly drive out the fear we need to find something stronger, the love of God!
• Let’s be the dads who grab hold of the truth found in today’s scripture that tells us how God’s love is perfect and drives out fear!
• Let’s be the dads who grab hold of the truth found in God’s Word that tells us that God’s love is stronger than fear!
• Today’s devotional speaks to this truth when it says:
  • “One of the amazing things about God’s love is that, often times, the best way to experience God’s love is to go out and love others—right in the middle of your fear. Love the fear out of yourself and others! Go serve someone who is in need, even if you’re afraid. When you begin to experience God’s love in action, flowing through you, it will drive out the fear. 
    
    Fear doesn’t just go away on its own. Fear grows in the dark. It shrinks our world. The only way to beat fear is to voluntarily expose yourself to the thing you fear in small doses. Take small steps of faith (with wisdom) toward the thing you fear. When God sustains you in each step it will build more faith to move forward. But you have to keep moving forward with courage. Just do it afraid, knowing that nothing can separate you from the love of God (Romans 8:38-39).“
• As we close let’s grab onto God’s Word, God’s truth, and God’s love and allow Him to fill up our hearts to overflowing with His love for we know that from the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks!
• Let’s grab hold of the closing statements from today’s devotional about God and His Word:
  • “Be courageous today. God’s love is the source of the security, connection, and control you are looking for. Express that love to others. Live in that love.“
• Let’s choose to be like Joshua and be bold and courageous!