1 John 4

Father, your scripture makes it clear that you love me. You love me perfectly not because of some great quality in me, but rather because, by your grace, you chose me to be yours and because real love is in you.

Everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. You manifested your love to me by sending your only begotten son into the world so that I can live through him.

So, this is divine love, not that I loved you, but that you loved me and gave your son to be the propitiation for all my selfish and mean sins. Now, I realize that if you so loved me, I must learn and discipline myself to love others.

You work the love for others into my new nature through your Holy Spirit, who fills me. I prepare myself by repeatedly dying to myself and following your spirit’s lead. The world and my flesh try to draw me back, but I pray and gird up my loins against those worldly desires.

Now, because I am born again, greater is he who is in me than he who is in the world. By the power of your word and through the presence of your Holy Spirit in me, I can love others, and I can abide in your love, Father.