Love Never Fails

Love is…

 

God is love

Love is from God

Love is to God

Love reflects God

 

Love has no fear

Love drives out fear

Love is not based on fear

Love is complete in Christ

 

~

 

A Narrative of Love

 

In the beginning God loved us

And so He sent His Son.

 

If Jesus is the Son of God,

And we hold to this truth,

 

Then God will live within us,

And we live in His Love.

 

For Christ was pierced for our transgressions

That we know perfect love.

 

Whoever lives in love, in God;

Through Christ we live in love.

 

We see and know our Savior came,

By Him we live in God.

 

If we know not the Father’s love,

Then how can we know God?

 

The Lord of Love, He lives in us;

His Spirit brings us life.

 

For love is not of hate nor fear,

But of sacrifice and life.

 

In hate one cannot truly love;

In lies they bring forth fear.

 

Fear is of punishment,

But perfect love drives out fear.

 

Because our Father first loved us,

Then we should love each other.

 

If we cannot love those we see,

How can we love our Father?

 

When we love one another,

His love is made complete in us.

 

If we love each other, we can

Enter into Life through the Father’s Love

 

So then, to love.

 

~

 

To Love

 

To love is to love our Father,

While at once loving each other.

 

To love is to act as Christ,

And to follow His ways.

 

To love is live in the Spirit,

Surrendered to God working in us.

 

To love is to drive out fear

And refrain from punishment.

 

To love is unselfish,

But confident in the end.

 

~

 

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: 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. If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. 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.  We love because he first loved us. Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.

1 John 4:7-21 (NIV)

 

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