LOVE (THE MANNER OF LOVE; LOVING THE FATHER)

PART TWO
Lorna was prayed for and led to a counselling section with the evangelism unit in church who, showered her with so much love. Lorna got home after service to meet her parent's absence. According to Jonathan, they were still not back from where they went. Lorna quickly made dinner by warming the food she brought back from church for Jonathan and Ruth. Sandra gave Lorna two extra plates of food when Lorna told her about Jonathan and Ruth. She slept early that night reflecting on how much her life had changed just within hours. She prayed for the first time in years. She felt happy and relieved for some reason after that.

Lorna was early to church the next day in  the evening after school. Lorna took Ruth and Jonathan with her. She received a phone call from a church member that day who called to check on and pray with her in the afternoon.
The same pastor who preached the previous day continued the second day. The topic for the second day was
"Love (loving the father)". The pastor started
"I  have a personal belief that, a person who receives Christ into thier lives and God's abundant love will surely know how to love another. This is why, it is hard for the people in the world to be able to love one another genuinely. Especially, when there is no form of payback, benefit or blood relationship involved.
The love from God is very genuine, true and unconditional. If one believes or has a good knowledge ( this knowledge is revealed in the word) of God's love and accepts it, then one can love another really. God is love. God making us perfect and righteous through Christ is love. Making us joint heirs in the kingdom with Christ is love in abundance.
God's love sees no imperfections. If we truly have God in us we will love above imperfections.

1 John 4 vs 4

7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.

8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

9 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.

10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

13 We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.

14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.

15 If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God.

16 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 him.

17 In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him.

The wrongs people do or people making mistakes in thier lives doesn't make them unfit for love. For instance, someone you know got pregnant at an early age out of wedlock, came to worship at your church and you decide to shut the doors against her or look at her with judgment in your eyes, because you feel they have taken themselves out of God's love or are unfit for your love. This is you not knowing God and you trying to discourage or stop someone in need of fellowship with God. But you can never take them out of God's love. They are never out of it.
Because he/she makes alot of mistakes, is too clumsy, too dirty doesn't make him/her unfit for your love.
Knowing God is loving another. Loving the father is by loving another.
Mathew 25 vs 34 to the end, Jesus explains that on the last day those who served the people in need served God.

Mathew 25 vs 45 "He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'"

Knowing God is loving another and it means God lives in us. Therefore his love is made complete in us.
The body is like a house, temporarily for us on earth. If the body fails, the spirit still lives. But, if a man is down in his Spirit, it is evident in his body either by bodily movements, facial expressions, loss of weight as well as other signs even without the presence of diseases.
If God's spirit lives in us, our existence is in him and his existence is in us and through us and because he exist in us, we will be able to fulfill his purposes for our lives. God works in us and through us. He lives in us. He acts through us. He is behind our existence. His spirit quickens our mortal bodies. His Spirit in us strengthens us in spirit and body. His Spirit in us gives our bodies healing and Vigour. His spirit in us leads us right.

If we confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwells in us and we live in him. Because God's love is perfected in us, we will be confident in the day of judgment because we have the love of God in us and so we are like him in the world.
We should manifest God's love in us by loving others, loving others should be from our hearts. It should be evident in our thoughts, actions and words towards them. Love God by loving one another. Loving God and loving another is one.

Actions can be driven by different reasons. Even some actions, most people might misinterprete to be love are driven by selfishness or for selfish gains. The basis for them is deceit because love is never backed by selfish reasons or interest. Love is genuine.

Let the children of God take and reveal the manner of love to the world and not be led by the world's principles of love. Love sees value in people.  Love is expression of good to another.  Affection is love lavished on another.

Please read: Romans 12 vs 10, I peter 4 vs 10. Galatians 5 vs 13.

The sermon ended. Lorna shed tears she tried to hide with her handkerchief from her siblings who watched on. In her life of fifteen years, she was wronged by so many people including her own family. She saw love in another new dimension. During prayer time, she found herself praying for each of the people who hurt her that she could remember. She prayed in tears for them with love from her heart. Lorna always thought she wouldn't be able to forgive her parents for all the hurt. She asked God for help in forgiving them. Lorna cried more in prayer as she let go of all the hurt and forgave all who hurt her.

Months after, Lorna found herself at peace. This was what she never felt in years. In the midst of struggles she had peace. She was happy. Lorna got a personal bible for herself and God revealed to her his mystery from his word.

The vice principal in school threatened to fail Lorna after her refusal of his sexual advances. Lorna was afraid. She didn't know who to talk to about it because she felt no one will believe her. The vice principal was admired and looked up to by the staff of the school. Lorna felt reluctant to pray about it because she felt it was odd to pray about such, especially when she willingly allowed the Vice principal in the past. She finally talked to God about it and believed God to fight for her. She knew God had forgiven her since and she accepted God's forgiveness.

Three weeks later, a parent of a child came to school to arrest the vice principal after thier daughter reported being raped by him to them. He threatened her not to tell anyone. There was evidence of this rape because,  the girl ran from his office to the house directly, her parents took her for examination and treatment in the hospital afterwards they preserved the evidence. A case was made against him, victims of abuse and threats from the vice principal were told to come forward and testify. Thirty three girls came forward and testified against him, including students who graduated already, to the prosecutor in charge. Lorna testified too. Some confidently witnessed in court against him. The vice principal was duely sentenced.
Lorna's mum stopped drinking, her Dad became more understanding and considerate towards them. As months passed, the family grew in love. Lorna's parents later accepted Christ and apologised to thier children. Christ completely healed thier family.