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What Father requires of us, He Himself is and gives that same to us. When He says, “love your enemies,” He is saying, “Love your enemies as I love mine.” This is true in all that He desires from us, not just in love.

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In the following paragraphs, I have taken passages from 1 Corinthians, Luke and 1 John, fiddled with them a lot, and tried to bring this principle of interpretation clear by adding “His love” to the beginning of each item in the list.

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In keeping with my obsession of late in playing with the first, second and third person nouns, What is below can also be written in the first person “I am love,” and “You are love.” This moves the statements from the descriptive to His claims about Himself and finally makes a prayer of acknowledgement back to Him.

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We can rejoice that what He is, that in which He desires us to be like Him, is what He is and what He supplies to us by His indwelling Spirit. I no longer need to try to generate love, grace, faith, or any other of the Christian virtues. Each is what He is and each is a gift given to us for our blessing and the blessings of those around us.

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Win

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God is love

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His love is patient,

His love is kind.

His love envies not,

His love boasts not,

His love is not proud

His love does not demean.

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His love seeks first to bless others.

His love is slow to anger,

His love keeps no record of wrongs.

His love Delights not in evil,

His love rejoices in the truth.

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His love always protects,

His love always trusts,

His love always hopes,

His love always perseveres.

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His love never fails.

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His love loves His enemies,

His loves is good to those who hate Him,

His love Blesses those who curse and mistreat Him,

His love turns His other cheeks

His love Withholds not from one who needs.

His love gives to all who asks,

His love Demand not the return of what is stolen from Him.

His love Does to all as He would be done to.

His love Loves His enemies

His love Is merciful to the unmerciful

His love Sends rain on the unjust

His love is kind to those who are ungrateful and unrighteous.

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