1 Corinthians 13:4-7 English Standard Version (ESV)

⁴ Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant ⁵ or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; ⁶ it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

This is God’s perfect love.

For the longest time I compared my ability to love against this standard. I failed and felt ashamed that I could not love perfectly. When Jesus told us to love one another He used the word agapao rather than agape. This is what Vine’s Expository Encyclopedia says about the verb form of agapao.

“Love can be known only from the actions it prompts. God’s love is seen in the gift of His Son. But obviously this is not the love of complacency, or affection, that is, it was not drawn out by any

excellency in its objects. It was an exercise of the Divine will in deliberate choice, made without assignable cause save that which lies in the nature of God Himself.”

Note the careful wording there; “it was not drawn out by any excellency in its objects”. While Christ dwells in my heart by faith, nothing I do releases that love. “Made without assignable cause” tells me that God’s divine will exercises His agape love thru His agapao, as a noun, His beloved. No failure on my part can hinder the will of God.

Fear of failure is a tool of the enemy of the Cross. Satan feeds on fear within Christians. Satan’s only aim here is to keep us on tilt. Being kept off balance we are more likely to stumble. If we should fall Satan is right there to glare down on us, “See, you are not good enough.”

Fear of failure produces selfish interest.

Proverbs 28:10 (ESV) Whoever misleads the upright into an evil way will fall into his own pit, but the blameless will have a goodly inheritance.

We had one really good rabbit dog. She was the best dog at finding and flushing out rabbits for us. Her name was Vicky.

Dad bought two beagles in hopes that those dogs might develop the skills of his prized dog.

Chipper was taller with long legs and could outrun Vicky. Vicky would pick up a scent and start the chase and Chipper would follow her barking. He had not yet developed a sense of the scent of rabbits yet. 

Chipper took the lead and the lead dog took on the barking role. Vicky followed the barking Chipper.

The problem was that Chipper saw a deer and ran after it. Deer run in a straight line unlike rabbits who run in circles close to and around their nest.

The dogs got out of range of my father’s voice and when he tried to call Vicky off the hunt, she could not hear his voice. We lost her.

Do not hearken to the barking dog that has no sense of what he should be chasing.