Spirit of God, open the eyes of our heart to understand and embrace the truth of this Scripture from 1 John 2:3-6 and 1 John 4:7-21 (ESV) …
And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, IN him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides IN him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked …
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because GOD IS LOVE. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live THROUGH him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides IN us and his love is perfected IN us.
By this we know that we abide IN him and he IN us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides IN him, and he IN God. So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides IN love abides IN God, and God abides IN him. By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.
PERFECT LOVE … SO AMAZING!
Father, we thank you for your perfect love and we ask that you perfect your love within us.
Bernie
Not sure if you’re familiar with the rock band “The Who”, but they have a song entitled “Let My Love Open the Door”. When the songwriter, Pete Townsend was asked what the song was about. he said, “Everyone thinks this is a love song from a man to a woman, but this is actually about God’s perfect love.
When everything feels all over
When everyone seems unkind
I’ll give you a 4 leaf clover
Take all the worry out of your mind
Let my love open the door
Let my love open the door
Let me love open the door
To your heart.
Release yourself from misery
There’s only one thing that will set you free
That’s my love
One of my faves…..
Yes, I am familiar with the Who and Pete Townsend and in the what I’m sure are the 100’s of times I have listened to this song, it never once crossed my mind that it was a song about God’s perfect love … of course at the time of that listening I was nowhere near being receptive to God’s perfect love. Thank you, thank you, thank you so very much for sharing this little tidbit … this is so cool!
Bernie