Memorizing and Meditating on Scripture is one of the most important spiritual discipline's God has made available to us. We want you so filled immersed in Scripture that when life cuts you, what you bleed is the Word of God. Check out this devotional to help you toward this goal.

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

1 John 4:18

“Earlier this year, Renée Zellweger won the Oscar for her work in the film “Judy”,the tragic story Judy Garland - a woman who lived most of her life in fear. “Judy” opens on the set of “The Wizard of Oz” with the voice of studio mongrel Louis B. Mayer telling the teenaged Judy, “You are my favorite.” But behind those words lived his real meaning – “You are my favorite, as long as you become “Judy Garland”.

The movie goes on to tell how these “as long as” conditions led Judy to become fearful of being punished for doing anything outside of what the Studio dictated. This led to her to not being able to sleep, which led to her being given sleeping pills, which led to her addiction to drugs and alcohol as an adult. Over the years, Judy lived in fear of not having a husband (so she married several times), not being able to care for her children, and, as a has-been singer and actress, not being able to please her audience.

Oh, if only Judy Garland could have known the unconditional love of God! If she could have only known the truth in I John 4:18:

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

God is Love, and God’s perfect love drives out any fear that you will be punished for not doing enough, or having enough, or that you are not good enough.

It’s heartbreaking to know that Judy Garland’s life could have been so very different. If she could have known of God’s unconditional love she would have realized that, even as the great Judy Garland, Frances Ethel Gumm, was perfect just as she was.