LOVE, LIFE AND LIGHT
(week 15/13)
OLUBI JOHNSON
Divine love is discerning by wisdom, desiring by compassion and doing by power, what God would do in every situation, because God is love.
1 John 4:16 AMP: And we know (understand, recognize, are conscious of, by observation and by experience) and believe (adhere to and put faith in and rely on) the love God cherishes for us. God is love, and he who dwells and continues in love dwells and continues in God, and God dwells and continues in him.
So, the operation of divine love ALWAYS releases a measure of divine life: from which the wisdom, compassion and power of God comes to do what God would do.
The Lord Jesus beautifully expresses this truth in
John 3:16 NKJV: For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
God’s love always results in God giving His life: everlasting life.
From that life now comes other physical and material blessing that God gives. This is why it is possible to give material and physical things and yet it will not be by divine love: because divine life is not released to motivate and energize what was given materially or physically. Furthermore, it is possible to release spiritual power that does not come from God to speak in tongues, give supernatural knowledge (Ac. 16.16-17) and perform supernatural miracles (Ex.7.11-12).
1 Corinthians 13:1-3 NKJV: Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. (2) And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. (3) And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.
So divine love MUST ALWAYS BE MOTIVATED AND EMPOWERED BY THE RELEASE OF DIVINE LIFE!
Divine love and forgiveness ALWAYS results in the giving of divine life from giver of love to the recipient of love.
1 Peter 4:7-8 CJB: The accomplishing of the goal of all things is close at hand. Therefore, keep alert and self-controlled, so that you can pray. (8) More than anything, keep loving each other actively; because love covers many sins.
1 John 5:16 CJB: If anyone sees his brother committing a sin that does not lead to death, he will ask; and God will give him life for those whose sinning does not lead to death. There is sin that does lead to death; I am not saying he should pray about that.
The divine life, that divine love gives, in turn gives divine light or wisdom to do what God would do in every situation:
John 1:4 KJV: In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
Daniel 5:14 NKJV: I have heard of you, that the Spirit of God is in you, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom are found in you.
God wants us to grow into the fulness of Christ by perfecting the love of God in us:
Ephesians 4:15 NIV: Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.
We perfect the love of God in us by:
1. The blood:
Hebrews 13:20-21 KJV: Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, (21) Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
2. The Word:
1 John 2:5 MKJV: But whoever keeps His Word, truly in this one the love of God is perfected. By this we know that we are in Him.
3. The Holy Spirit:
1 John 4:12-13 MKJV: No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwells in us, and His love is perfected in us. (13) By this we know that we dwell in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit.
